How To Clean Your iPhones Charging Port
Weve seen Apples technicians go to town on a Lightning port first-hand, but you should be careful since theres a risk you could damage the contacts. Causing damage may result in an iPhone that wont charge properly again, and a repair could be expensive.
Its best to avoid metal objects that could cause damage in favor of a wooden toothpick. The key here is to not use too much pressure that you risk breaking the toothpick, which could potentially cause it to become stuck. You want to avoid bending the contacts, ideally avoiding them altogether.
Grab a light source and peer into the port before you start to get an idea of how dirty it is. Take your wooden toothpick and insert it, then run it along the walls of the port. Avoid touching the anchors on the side that keep your cable in place. Remove the toothpick and take off anything that comes out, then repeat. Keep going until the port looks clean and nothing else is coming out.
Apple doesnt recommend using compressed air to clean the iPhone. You should also avoid using a cotton swab or anything that may introduce more lint or fiber into the port. Save your cotton swabs for dipping into isopropyl alcohol when you want to fully disinfect the exterior of your iPhone.
How To Clean A Charger Port
This article was written by Mitch Harris. Mitch Harris is a Consumer Technology Expert based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mitch runs his own IT Consulting company called Mitch the Geek, helping individuals and businesses with home office technology, data security, remote support, and cybersecurity compliance. Mitch earned a BS in Psychology, English, and Physics and graduated Cum Laude from Northern Arizona University. This article has been viewed 188,185 times.
Smartphones, tablets, and laptops are meant to be portable. As a result, these devices spend a lot of time in our hands, in pockets, in purses, on dirty tables, outside, and other places where they can get dirty. If it’s harder to insert your charging cable into the port, the cable pops out, or charging is taking longer than usual, it’s likely that dust and/or other debris has made its way inside the port. This wikiHow teaches you how to safely clean debris from your phone, tablet, or laptop’s USB-C or Lightning charging port.
Clean The Charging Port With Compressed Air
With your iPhone in one hand, and the charging port pointed towards the source of light, grab a can of compressed air* making sure to hold it upright! and give the port a few strong but short blasts so you can vaporize the debris. This will work best for debris, like lint, which is more likely to stick to the outer surface of your iPhones charging port.
Avoid blowing on your phones charging port! The particles that may be flying out of your mouth when youre blowing can cause moisture build-up in the charging port and youll have a whole new set of problems
*While Apple doesnt recommend the use of compressed air to clean an iPhone, this is the most tried-and-true method of cleaning a charging port that most professionals would recommend you use. Looking for any specific cleaning instructions related to your particular iPhone model? Head over to this handy Apple support page and look up your specific iPhone models cleaning advice.
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Use A Toothpick But Be Careful
The last object you could use to clean out your charging port is a toothpick. Use a toothpick to clean out your charging port.
Your iPhones charging port can be clogged with dust or lint clumps. The best way to remove all this filth is to give it a gentle swipe to free the particles. If theres a layer of gunk or grime caked along the walls, give it a gentle scrape to dislodge it.
But be careful! The Lightning port has many small pins which can easily be damaged.
To avoid scraping the teeth of the Lightning port, wrap the end of the toothpick with a small amount of cotton. When youve found an accumulation of residue on the inner walls, try a more powerful cleaning tool, like a plastic dental flosser.
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Use Compressed Air And A Mini Vac
If you don’t have access to a professional, you might be able to do the job yourself using canned or compressed air. Apple says not to use compressed air, so you have to make a judgment call here. Some people say compressed air works just fine. If you choose to use compressed air, spray a little at a time, be patient, and don’t empty the entire can of air into the port. Too much air can damage the phone.
You can also use a hand-held vacuum like a mini vac or a dust buster. It might be possible to draw the lint out by positioning the vacuum next to the charging port if the debris is already loose.
If some of the debris is loose, but you can’t get it out with a vacuum, use a Post-it Note. Cut the note into strips, making each strip narrower than the port. Use the sticky side to reach in, connect with the loose debris, and remove it.
Diy Fix Charging Port On iPhone
If youâre tech knowledgeable and patient, you can change your own iPhone charging port. Itâs the cheapest replacement option, but it needs you to disassemble your iPhone, so donât do it if you donât feel comfortable doing so.
Depending on your iPhone model, you may expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $100 for a replacement charging port. The majority of them are offered as charging port/flex cable combos, which are easier to replace than solo charging ports because they do not need soldering. If you donât already have the tools youâll need, toolkits start at $5.
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Proper iPhone & iPad Cleaning And Hygiene
To keep your iPhone or iPad in good shape and working order, its always a good idea to keep some useful cleaning kit and tools nearby, whether its for getting out the dirt in your charging port or just keeping the surface of the iPhone or other smartphones shiny and new, these are the iPhone charging port cleaner and cleaning kit I use.
If you find that your iPhone is not charging or it is displaying unusual charging behavior like being selective about the charging cables that work, its charging port might be dirty. This is a problem that you can fix quite quickly at home. The methods and tips included in this article on how to clean iPhone charging port will help you to do it yourself.
Cleaning Your Phone Port With Alcohol
Alcohol isnt the perfect way to go, but you can still use it to get the elements clogging your iPhones charging port. You can use it in two ways without damaging the device. First, alcohol can be used together with the cotton attached to the toothpick.
If you decide to use some cotton with the toothpick, then dip the end with cotton in alcohol before inserting it into the port.
Second, you can use alcohol to clean your iPhone charger to ensure its safe. While testing if the charger works during the cleaning process, some of the debris can move from the port to the charger.
That can make it inefficient even if all the debris in the port would have been removed. A precaution when using this is that isopropyl alcohol should be used instead of ethyl alcohol, which can damage the iPhone. Also, too much alcohol usage isnt appropriate.
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How To Clean A Phone’s Speaker
Another part of your phone that’s likely caked with dirt and debris? Your speakers. Just like a charging port, this area is constantly exposed to dust, lint, food, and even dead skin cells that can clog the tiny speaker holes and reduce your phone’s sound quality. Going too long without cleaning your speakersâboth on the bottom of your phone and at the topâwill make dust harder to remove and phone calls harder to hear.
To prevent more dirt from getting in, Asurion Experts recommend cleaning the speakers with a damp cloth, cotton swab, or soft-bristle keyboard brush. Skip the compressed air for this area, and never use liquids. Both can damage components inside your phone.
A clean charging port and crystal-clear speakers will help your phone perform at its best. While you’re at it, you may want to give your device a full wipe-down to restore some of its old shine. To help you clean your screen and phone case, our experts created this guide on how to remove bacteria and germs from your phone.
How To Clean The Charging Port On A Samsung Galaxy And Google Pixel
The USB-C port on Android⢠devices can be tough to keep clean, but there are steps you can take to rid your phone of unwanted dirt.
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Find A Flashlight Or Source Of Strong Light
Grab a friend or your SOs phone and turn on the flashlight or if youre solo head to the bathroom where youre more likely to find the level of bright light you need to properly inspect your phone. Have a good look at the outer and interior area of the charging port and see if you can spot any visible lint, crumbs or gunk.
How To Clean Corrosion Off An iPhone Charging Port
Corrosion can also affect your phone’s charging port and cause it to stop working altogether. While it’s more common with older phones that have experienced extended use, it can form along the walls of your iPhone’s Lightning port if you power it up in wet conditions.
If you notice green build-up in or around your charging port, it’s best to get professional help to clean your phone. But if you choose to do it yourself, you may be able to clear some of the crust with cotton swabs.
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How To Clean iPhone Charging Port: 7 Secrets Cleaning Tips
You recently tried to charge your iPhone but couldnt get it full as usual, or it was charging slowly. I guess the surprise of having a spoilt Apple was too much. Truthfully, sometimes our devices spoil and stress us out. Some issues concerning iPhone damages, however, might be a result of how we handle them. Whether you knew it or not, your iPhone might have a charging problem because the port is unclean or dropped the phone in water. That means you have to work out a plan to clean the iPhone port. Even if the outside may look clean, an iPhone charging port may not. So, the only way to repair it is to clean the port. In this blog, Ill discuss how to clean the charging port using the various available means and what to do to ensure proper use.
Use An iPhone Case With Charging Port Cover
They say prevention is better than cure. That statement is also true for how you use your iPhone. We can save ourselves the hustle of seeking professional assistance or keeping on cleaning the iPhone charging ports by buying a case.
If you buy a good quality iPhone case with a port cover, no dirt or other external damaging elements will enter.
You can purchase a wallet phone case having a transparent front and ensure it includes a zip to close the phone while not in use. With such a cover, dust and other particles will only accumulate on top of it and not enter the port.
It will be easier to clean the cover than doing so for the charging port. It would be wise to use the iPhone cover every day to prevent debris entry. Further, when at the office or home and youre not using the iPhone, considering putting it in a drawer or safe place.
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How To Dry Out Your Charging Port
Leave your iPhone in a clean, dry area that allows airflow. It might take up to 24 hours for your iPhone to fully dry, according to Apple. Do not dry your iPhone using an external heat source, compressed air, or bag of rice, which could cause permanent damage to the phone. These tricks could save your wet iPhone too.
Inspecting The Charging Port
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Use A Can Of Air Duster
Compressed air is what is used and recommended to clean many electronics, including charging ports.
Air duster, or compressed air, works far better than blowing into a phone for a couple of reasons. First of all, its usually more powerful. And second and most importantly, compressed air is just air it doesnt contain any moisture
To clean your charging port with compressed air, hold the can a few inches away from the port and spray for a couple of seconds.
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How To Clean The iPhone’s Lightning Port
You should get a flashlight, or work under a bright LED desk lamp the brighter the better, since you need to see deep into the Lightning port.
And while you may want to start with compressed air, if you’re planning to insert anything into the port to pull out wedged-in dirt, there’s only one acceptable tool for the job: A toothpick. Never try to clean the Lightning port with anything harder than wood, like any sort of pin or metal rod. There are delicate electronics in the port, and ramming it with a sharp metal pin can permanently damage it.
1. Power off your iPhone completely. You can open the Settings app and then tap “General,” followed by “Shut Down.”
2. Holding the compressed air can upright shoot a few short, controlled bursts into the port.
3. Turn your phone on and try to charge it again. If it’s still not working, it’s time to try the toothpick.
4. Again, with your phone turned off, gently insert the toothpick into the port and lightly scrape it against the inside wall of the port. Don’t apply pressure to the inside wall that’s closest to the front of the phone, because there are delicate pins there. Overall, it’s important to be gentle, because in addition to those pins, the sides are home to two small spring-mounted anchors that latch onto the Lightning port when you insert it . If you break anything, its charging days will be over permanently.
6. If you push some dirt out, turn the phone back on and try to charge it.
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Put Your Phone In Front Of A Fan Or Leave It To Dry Naturally
If you want to speed up the drying process of your phone’s USB port, we recommend placing it in front of a fan or even near an open window . However, you should avoid heat lamps and heaters in general, as this could raise your phone’s temperature to an unsafe level, melt the exterior, or cause other heat-related issues.
However, if you don’t have a fan and you’re not comfortable placing it near a window, you can always leave your phone to dry for a few hours, preferably in a dry, warm environment like an airing cupboard.
Toothpick To Clean The iPhone Port
Some things compressed air cant do, and to some extent, using the method can cause more complications than expected. It cannot remove tightly packed elements, and the constant charging tests can cause the dirt and dust to be compact.
That way, using a toothpick will prevail. The most preferred method is using wooden items, especially toothpicks, which are known to clean the charging port properly.
Compared to sharp metallic objects, toothpicks, especially the round-tipped ones are best as theyre supple and unlikely to damage the charging port. When working with a toothpick, youll need a flashlight to help you see the ports inside correctly.
It will also require some patience as the process will take a bit more time than the compressed air one. Follow these steps to clean your iPhone charging port using a toothpick:
Step 1: Use the flashlight to identify which kind of dirt is in the port. Next, switch off your phone, then place it upside down on a bench or hold it in your hands in that same way.
Step 2: Put a toothpick inside the port and scrape it slowly on the ports back wall. It should fit in the port. Continue doing this until you see debris on the toothpick. You can also scrape the charging ports sides if need be, but do so very carefully to avoid spoiling the anchors.
After you remove all the dirt, try charging the iPhone again. Does it charge? Yes, hopefully, it should do so.
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