5 things tech pros do in their own homes that they rarely tell customers

August 1, 2026

By Kim Komando

Every trade has secrets. The repair counter has five they’d rather I didn’t print, each one a service call you’ll never book.

1. A TV’s resurrection ritual

TV won’t turn on? Before a tech touches a screwdriver, unplug it from the wall, hold the power button on the set (not the remote) for 30 seconds, plug it back in. That capacitor drain revives a shocking share of “dead” TVs. Samsung, LG and others bury this fix in their support pages. Now, you know it.

Put down the Windex. Ammonia eats screen coatings. Dry microfiber clothes only, here’s a 24-pack for $10.

2. A phone’s 90-second miracle

“My phone won’t charge” is the top walk-in, and most need zero parts. The port is packed with pocket lint, compressed tighter every plug-in. Techs fish it out with a toothpick while the customer’s jaw drops.

Their way: Power off, wood or plastic (never metal), gentle scrapes along the walls. You’ll be horrified and delighted by what comes out.

3. A security pro’s lie

Ask a cybersecurity expert their mother’s maiden name, and their bank thinks it’s “Battleship.” Your real maiden name? One ancestry site away. Google says attackers guess your “favorite food” on the first try 19.7% of the time. Spoiler: pizza.

The pro move: a random fake answer stored in your password manager. Lie, but lie uniquely.

4. A mechanic’s $20 head start

Check engine light? The mechanic’s first move is to pull a code from the OBD-II port under your dash. Every car sold in America since 1996 has one. Need a scanner? This bestseller is 25% off, $30.

Then hand the info to AI: “My 2016 Honda CR-V shows code P0455. Explain it in plain English, list causes cheapest to priciest, is it safe to drive and what’s a fair repair price?”

Average check engine repair is $403. Most common cheap culprit is a loose gas cap. Really.

 5. Your AI opening move

The people who build AI for a living never take the first answer. Before letting it respond, they type one line: “Ask me five questions that would improve your answer.” 

Here’s why. Given a vague request, a chatbot won’t admit it’s confused. It fills the blanks with average assumptions and hands you a generic answer with total confidence. Those five questions pull your real situation onto the page. Ask for a complaint letter, get a form letter. Answer the questions first, get yours.

I tried to fix my broken TV, but it just gave me static.

🎯 Send this to someone who is the family “tech person,” or keeps the family tech person on speed dial.

📱 Text-worthy: Repair counter secrets: Hold the TV power button 30 sec unplugged (revives “dead” TVs), toothpick the lint out of a phone that won’t charge, and a $30 scanner + AI decode your check engine light before the mechanic does.