5 potentially damaging parts of a phone cleaning routine

Looking down at a dirty phone screen doesn’t bother some people. They just go about their business, swiping and typing with no regard. But plenty of people are bothered by dirty phones and need to clean them as soon as possible. Let’s say you accidentally smudge the screen with some greasy fingers while eating pizza — most people will just wipe it off with their shirt or a napkin and move on, others won’t even bother wiping it off.

If the phone is still working, you may not think that you need to clean it. It may just be that you are trying to nonchalantly go about your day. But it can be hard to get your phone clean if you’re working with a dirtier and dirtier phone. Wiping it down shouldn’t be an issue, but you have to be careful what you’re wiping it with. This isn’t something you probably think about if you’re in the moment, but finding the right solution to what you’re cleaning your phone with is important.

There are right ways and wrong ways to clean your phone. You may try and find a shortcut, but you shouldn’t take one with something as important as your phone. Here are five things not to do when cleaning your phone.

Brand

Apple

SoC

A18 (3nm)

Display

6.1-inch 2352 x 1170 pixel resolution Super Retina XDR, 1,200 nits, 60Hz

RAM

8GB

Storage

128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Ports

USB-C

1

Wait and clean your phone eventually

Get rid of that debris ASAP

Apple

If you notice dust or dirt on your phone, don’t wait — just clean it. Letting gunk build up around your screen, camera, or charging port can lead to annoying issues down the line, like muffled sound or a phone that won’t charge properly.

It’s easy to say “I’ll deal with it later,” but by the time you remember, it might already be causing problems. Your phone keeps your life running — treat it like it matters.

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2

Use a paper towel to wipe your screen

Find an antimicrobial wipe

You may not have the option to choose something else to wipe down your screen — but if you do, you should avoid using a paper towel. Paper towels are meant to be a little rougher than a tissue or a cloth in order to absorb liquids. While they are incredibly valuable to have, they shouldn’t be used on your phone, especially if you don’t have a screen protector.

If you use a paper towel, it could scratch the screen. The scrapes might be miniscule, but more and more of them could add up. This also goes for wiping down your camera lenses on your phone. The smallest scratch on a camera lens can show up in every picture that you take. Use a cloth made for wiping down cameras, glasses, or phones.

Antimicrobial ones and microfiber ones are better because they can get rid of dirt and dust fully.

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3

There’s no need to deep clean your phone

There are germs everywhere on your phone

Think about it: your hands are not always clean and your purse or pockets aren’t either. Then why would your phone be clean? Your phone is crawling with germs and tons of bacteria. Think about how many germs are on doorknobs. Your phone is even dirtier than that because of how often you use it. To think that you don’t need to deep clean your phone every once in a while is ignorant and unsanitary.

It could make a lot of sense for you to invest in a UV-C sanitizing machine. These gadgets zap the bacteria off of your phone in seconds and deliver you a clean phone that’s ready to use. It doesn’t affect your phone in any way other than making it cleaner. If you don’t want to go that route, 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes will do the trick. These are meant for screens. You shouldn’t use a Clorox or antibacterial wipe because they can be too wet and moisture can get into the ports or holes in your phone.

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4

Using compressed air can get out all of the dirt

This can do more harm than good

You’ve probably tried to clean the keyboard of your laptop or computer with compressed air. Watching dirt particles fly out of your keyboard can make you realize how gross it actually is. But you shouldn’t use compressed air on your phone’s ports because it can actually force the particles farther inside.

The ports are deeper than the areas where your keyboard’s keys sit. It’s easier to spray compressed air on a keyboard because it doesn’t really have any other place to go but out. That isn’t the case with a phone, as any type of port is going to be a bit deeper than a key. This will do more harm than good. Using specific tools for your ports is a smarter idea.

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5

Use a toothpick to clean your charging port

While it may work, it’s dangerous

There are plenty of people who have used toothpicks to get any debris or gunk out of their charging port. It probably has worked too. It’s a smart idea, until it isn’t. The small brittle ends of a toothpick can break off rather easily. This could get stuck in the charging port, causing an even bigger issue than when you had debris or dust in there.

If you want to know the most effective way to get your charging port clean, a phone cleaning kit with brushes is it. This is the safe way to clean your phone and ensures that you don’t have to worry about something getting lodged in there. You can also try a small toothbrush to brush away the dust and debris from the speakers or microphone of your phone.