Portable devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops are designed with portability. Consequently, these devices spend a lot of time in our hands, on dirty tables, in purses, and anywhere else they can accumulate dirt. Dust or other debris has likely made their way inside the port if your charging cable is hard to insert, is popping out, or the charging process takes longer than usual. This article covers how to remove debris from the USB-C or Lightning charging port of your phone, tablet, or laptop. Here’s How to Clean a Charger Port.
Obtain the necessary equipment.
You can clean your charging port by using materials at home. There are department stores and online retailers where you can find anything you don’t have. The following items are needed:
- Air compressor. It is accessible to spray-controlled bursts into small spaces using cans with thin straws attached to their nozzles.
- A plastic dental pick would work fine if you don’t have a wooden toothpick. Cotton wool will also work.
- If you cannot remove or loosen the gunk inside the port, clean it with isopropyl alcohol. If you want to spray contact cleaner directly into your port, you could use a quick-drying contact cleaner.
- An area with good lighting and a table or desk free of dust.
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Tuck your toothpick in a small piece of cotton.
By reducing the cotton, you can turn your toothpick into something akin to a cotton swab so it can fit inside of the port. To begin, lay a cotton ball or pad on a flat surface. You should then insert the toothpick at a slight angle into a fragile layer of cotton. One hand holding down the cotton, twist the toothpick until a small amount of cotton wraps around the tip. You can fork the toothpick the other way as well.
- It might work to use a cotton swab, but they usually are too thick to fit inside a charging port. Remove a small amount of cotton from the tip of a cotton swab if that is all you have to work with.
- You need to use a flashlight to look inside the port if the charging port on your PC laptop does not have a USB-C connector. The pins usually found at the center of these ports can break easily. Instead, take your PC to a service center to be cleaned if a toothpick can’t fit through the port without touching the pin.
Disconnect all your electronic devices.
If you are cleaning your phone or tablet, make sure it is off before cleaning it. Removing the removable battery if your device has one is an added precaution.
Compress air in short bursts and blow it into the charger port
In a downward motion. Keep the straw steady by pressing down on the port. Hold the straw steady for a minute or two to blow air into the port while pushing down on the nozzle.
- Hold the nozzle down for 2 seconds to avoid damaging the port. The delicate internal structures of the phone or tablet can be disrupted by too much air pressure.
- If you’re tempted to blow into the port, resist. It could cause moisture to accumulate in the port and possibly break your device.
Rub cotton over the inner surface of the port.
Do not just jab the toothpick or swab into the port; lean it against the port’s internal wall as you insert it. Once the inner wall has been effectively loosened, drag its end along all sides with a swab or toothpick. The process might have to be repeated several times if there are many guns inside the port.
- Gentleness is essential, but firmness is essential, too, to release stuck-on debris.
- Using rubbing alcohol to wet the cotton would be effective if there is gunk inside the port. To avoid liquids into the port, make sure the cotton is not wet, just damp.
Use compressed air to remove loose debris.
Position your phone, tablet, or laptop so that the charging port is tilted downward towards your working surface. The dirt will drop from the port to your working surface rather than getting trapped inside. Once the port is clear of debris, spray a few quick bursts of water into it again. If it’s hard to move the remaining dirt, you might consider wrapping double-sided tape around a sewing or syringe needle and gently prodding it.
- You should take your device to a service center if you cannot remove visible debris using these methods.
- Your charging cable may be damaged or dirty if you still have a problem with your charging port. Use a different charging cable if necessary.