Top 6 ways we break our smartphones

Did you ever drop and break your cellphone? Admit it. It happens more than you think, especially with expensive iPhones and androids.

So you may want to know the top places where people destroy their phone.

The warranty provider SquareTrade says Americans have paid almost $6 billion replacing broken iPhones alone.

Dropped in beer, left on back of truck

At a local Chamber of Commerce meeting we attended, one did not have to look hard for ruined phone stories.

Mary Hill was at a baseball game when she dropped it in her beer cup.

"The phone rang," she said. "I put it up to my ear, and after I finished talking on the phone, I deposited it into my cup of beer!"

She says it turned out to be one expensive beer.

Scott Anderson left his on the tailgate of his pickup truck.

"I drove off, and it fell off in the middle of the road, and it proceeded to get run over," he said.

Allison Diehl lost hers to a spilled drink. 

"My boyfriend's 25-pound giant cat knocked over a beverage on top of it, and the next day it was completely ruined," she said.

Top danger zones

SquareTrade says the top danger zones for smartphones are:

       - The kitchen, where 21 percent of phones are ruined, mostly from spilled beverages. It's followed by the living room and bathroom.

        -The bathroom, where 9 percent of ruined phones have been dropped in the toilet.  Don't want to think about what that was like.

        -The washing machine, where 5 percent of destroyed phones meet their end, after being left in a pocket.

          -The roof of cars, where 5 percent of phones are sent flying onto the highway. Oops! 

Surprisingly, dropping the phone while fumbling for car keys did not make the list, possibly because many of them don't break that way.

If you don't have insurance, that mistake can cost you hundreds.

What you can do

There are two ways to protect your phone: one, buy a thick protective case, that protects against glass breaking.

And two, if it will cost $200 or more to replace (many smartphones are around $500), purchase insurance from your carrier, from Apple, or a third party company.

As always, don't waste your money.
_________________________________

Don't Waste Your Money is a registered trademark of the EW Scripps Co.

"Like" John Matarese on Facebook

Follow John on Twitter (@DWYM)