Do you have a stubborn device or piece of tech that refuses to work? If you’re feeling confident that you can resolve the issue on your own without having a technician look at it, follow these four safety tips.

Unplug First

Before sticking your fingers or hands inside the components of your appliance or device, it’s best to disconnect it from the wall outlet. Doing so prevents the risk of electrocution and possible frying of your device’s circuitry. Follow the plug until you reach the wall outlet, then pull it out and wait a few seconds before you troubleshoot the device.

Read the Manual

Find and read the manual (if you haven’t thrown it out already) so you’ll have an idea of what you’re working with. If the manual is lost, look and research videos on the internet to achieve the same thing. Sometimes the manual will have a section that will solve the exact same problem you have. If not, look up tutorials or troubleshooting videos on YouTube to gauge how simple or complex the steps will be.

Wet Hands are Bad

Water and electricity never go hand in hand. That said, there are always some things you can do to prevent an accident when troubleshooting your devices. Make sure your hands and the floor are not wet, and that the appliance or device is unplugged.

Simple to Complex

Most of the time a simple fix should clear up most of the tech problems. For example, a poker game that’s not loading on a browser could mean a slow internet or a reboot (restart the computer). Try simple solutions first, e.g., restarting the device, and making sure everything’s plugged in and working, before going to complex procedures such as replacing faulty components.