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FatPuppy

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 14, 2012
1,709
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I want to clean all the ports and buttons on my iphone 4, is it ok if I use isopropyl alcohol with 99% alcohol? I heard that this liquid dissolve stuff pretty quick, will it harm my iphone? Anyone used it before?
 
Clean iPhone immediately if it comes into contact with contaminants that may cause stains, such as ink, dyes, makeup, dirt, food, oils, and lotions. To clean iPhone, unplug all cables and turn off iPhone (press and hold the Sleep/Wake button, and then slide the onscreen slider). Use a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth. Avoid getting moisture in openings. Don't use window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, ammonia, abrasives, or cleaners containing hydrogen peroxide to clean iPhone. The front and back glass surfaces have an oleophobic coating. To remove fingerprints, wipe these surfaces with a soft, lint-free cloth. The ability of this coating to repel oil will diminish over time with normal use, and rubbing the screen with an abrasive material will further diminish its effect and may scratch the glass.
SOURCE: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3226#iphones

I would probably advise against using alcohol. Do your best with a microfiber cloth and warm water. If you need more than that, use an alcohol and ammonia free screen cleaner. This is what I use:

http://www.amazon.com/Klear-Screen-Computer-Monitor-Keyboard/dp/B0018CPCT8
 
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I want to clean all the ports and buttons on my iphone 4, is it ok if I use isopropyl alcohol with 99% alcohol? I heard that this liquid dissolve stuff pretty quick, will it harm my iphone? Anyone used it before?


I think it's fine for surface cleaning. Just remember to turn the phone off, and to not soak the device in liquid. Use a clean towel dampened with the rubbing alcohol.

For ports though, I would not put any liquid into them. I use a thin piece of plastic to clean lint out of ports.
 
I want to clean all the ports and buttons on my iphone 4, is it ok if I use isopropyl alcohol with 99% alcohol? I heard that this liquid dissolve stuff pretty quick, will it harm my iphone? Anyone used it before?

Thats good for wiping the outside, just because the phone goes places you dont want on your face later.
 
Re: rubbing alcohol

I had a friend clean his iPhone 4S with some rubbing alcohol (a light amount in a light rag) and he said it worked well for him. Best of luck.
 
Um i use my shirt to clean my phone. And then i use a tooth pick to get the crap out of the speaker/microphone/ 30 pin dock connector.

Lol at the other post in this thread :D
 
Let's put it this way. It's a solvent. Solvents can wash away the good (coatings, adhesives, contact lubricants) as well as the bad.

It's also electrically conductive. Just because it's only 1% water doesn't mean it can't cause a short circuit.

There is no recommended preventative maintenance for switch contacts, and without knowing the internal construction of the switch modules and everything around them, pouring anything over them may be pointless, and lead to unintended side-effects.

If you're going to clean out the 30-pin or Lightning port (accumulated pocket lint), I'd suggest a very flexible, plastic toothpick. Non-conductive, too soft to scratch off gold contact plating and the like, lint-free.
 
Um i use my shirt to clean my phone. And then i use a tooth pick to get the crap out of the speaker/microphone/ 30 pin dock connector.

Lol at the other post in this thread :D

I had a friend that had so much lint jammed up in the 30-pin connector that he came to me one day and said "My iPhone won't charge" I instantly knew what was wrong when the connector would only go in about 3/4ths of the way. I spent 30 minutes picking crap out of that port (with a small paper clip to get around the 30 pin connector.) because it had been shoved in there for so long trying to get the phone to charge.

Moral of the story, keep those ports clean. A lot easier to blow loose stuff out then pick it out later.
 
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