Take Your Phone to a Professional
The safest way to clean an iPhone charging port is to take it to a professional. They have the tools and know-how to clean the port without harming it. They’ll likely use a small amount of canned air, a tiny vacuum, or another professional cleaning tool to remove the debris gently. Here are a few places to try. In some cases, these merchants perform the task for free:
Apple Store Watch repair shop Jeweler Battery store iPhone screen repair shop
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.
Use a Toothpick
Using a toothpick is a popular method to clean an iPhone charging port, but you should only use a toothpick as a last resort. That’s because the charging port contains sets of pins, and those pins are fragile. If you stick a toothpick (or paper clip or thumbtack) into this port, you could damage those pins. Once the pins are damaged, the only option is to replace the port. To clean the port with a toothpick:
What Clogs a Charging Port?
Because the charging port is located at the bottom of the iPhone and is open to the elements, it can collect lint, dirt, and other debris from anywhere, including a backpack or shirt pocket. It can get dirty from sitting on a picnic table in the park on a windy day; it can get clogged with dust from your home. There are a thousand things that could gunk it up. If you could look inside a clogged port, you’d see a wall of debris. This debris, no matter what it is, collects on the pins inside the iPhone port. It’s those pins that make the connection to the charging cable. If there’s not a good connection, the phone won’t charge. Cleaning this port releases that debris so that you can charge the phone.
