How to clean your iPhone port without breaking it

What better way to celebrate International Repair Day than with an easy hack?

One of the most common repair requests we contend with here at Back Market is the dreaded clogged iPhone It’s not intense, just a little gross – sometimes, dirt, dust and debris can get stuck in your charging port and make it difficult for cables to connect.

So here’s our takes. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide on getting the gunk out of your phone, and repairing that charging port. It’s super easy to do at home, and you probably have all the stuff needed already. Give your phone some TLC and read on for steps ahead.

Before cleaning

• Make sure your phone is off before you start. We recommend getting it backed up too, which is ideal before doing any hardware or software repairs. You can do this at home with an external hard drive (just plug your phone and drive into your computer) or save a backup of your phone data in the cloud.

• Take a look inside your iPhone port. Can you see any dust, dirt or debris? If there’s buildup around the port, this could be what’s stopping your charger from connecting correctly. 

Cleaning the port

• Start off by scraping off any dirt. If it hasn’t been attended to in a while, you might have to brace yourself. You can use something sharp, like a toothpick, to help you get into any corners, or a cotton swab.

• You can also use compressed air to spray the port. In short bursts angle your compressed air in and around the charging port to blast off any debris.

• Sticky port, or really clogged? You should know by now to skip the water (H2O and phones are not friends, unfortunately) and opt for some rubbing alcohol. Use a dipped cotton swab to loosen any sticky residue that’s really gripped on.

• We also recommend taking the time to clean the outside of the phone too (and maybe your other devices and ports, whilst you’re at it).

What to look out for

• Don’t go too gung ho with your toothpick or sharp object. If you do, you could end up damaging the port. Then it’ll really need a repair.

• Make sure the port is fully dry before attempting to charge the phone or turning back on. We recommend waiting a couple minutes minimum before plugging in that charger.

• In future, make sure you’re maintaining the cleanliness of your phone port. Give it a clean every couple months or so, avoid touching with dirty hands, and watch out for pocket and bottom-of-bag crumbs that get lodged inside.

More troubleshooting

• Still not working? Check your charging cable and make sure it’s not broken, or with any tears. And if your phone still doesn’t turn on, you can always contact your provider for a dedicated in-house repair service, like the Apple Store.