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steve knight

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jan 28, 2009
2,735
7,180
I know there has to be tools to clean them out but I can't find them my lightening port really gets fuzz in it and once in awhile the headphone port. I can make metal tools but I really want some plastic ones.
 
I know there has to be tools to clean them out but I can't find them my lightening port really gets fuzz in it and once in awhile the headphone port. I can make metal tools but I really want some plastic ones.
You don't even want plastic ones. Just buy a package of "canned air" and give them a squirt once in a while. If you carry your iFone in a pants pocket, you might try carrying it with the speaker UP instead of down in your pocket. Just make sure you don't invert the canned air when you do this. You don't want to go blasting liquid "whatever-they-put-in-canned-air-nowadays) into your iFone ports.
 
You don't even want plastic ones. Just buy a package of "canned air" and give them a squirt once in a while. If you carry your iFone in a pants pocket, you might try carrying it with the speaker UP instead of down in your pocket. Just make sure you don't invert the canned air when you do this. You don't want to go blasting liquid "whatever-they-put-in-canned-air-nowadays) into your iFone ports.

Ifone? Please tell me you're kidding.
 
Unless I remember to blow them out often they tend to get stuff packed in there and it won't blow out even with a air hose. If I use the table saw it really gets in there.
 
Compressed air works great.

Though I don't really clean my phone much and it's fine.

If it breaks I take it to the Apple Store and they'll clean it or replace it.
 
I have to clean mine or I can't get the connector in far enough to charge.
 
Tooth pick works great.



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I sure as hell hope they were kidding...

Let's see here ... verrry thin metallic foil contacts on a printed circuit board. Yeah, I want to scrape something wooden, plastic or metal across them. Even if you're very careful, all it takes is one catch on the gold contact edge for the charger plug to be broken. Yeah sure, you can take it to an Apple store to have it fixed but chances are your going to get charged for the service not to mention the loss of the phone while it's being done (if it takes more than an hour or two or the parts aren't on hand.)

The toothpick's fine for the earphone jack but I still wouldn't put anything into the charging jack that could possibly damage the internal connector. Besides, how much junk does the OP have in there any way? Not like it's cookie crumbs or compacted sand. One squirt a week should be plenty to keep it clean.
 
Let's see here ... verrry thin metallic foil contacts on a printed circuit board. Yeah, I want to scrape something wooden, plastic or metal across them. Even if you're very careful, all it takes is one catch on the gold contact edge for the charger plug to be broken. Yeah sure, you can take it to an Apple store to have it fixed but chances are your going to get charged for the service not to mention the loss of the phone while it's being done (if it takes more than an hour or two or the parts aren't on hand.)

The toothpick's fine for the earphone jack but I still wouldn't put anything into the charging jack that could possibly damage the internal connector. Besides, how much junk does the OP have in there any way? Not like it's cookie crumbs or compacted sand. One squirt a week should be plenty to keep it clean.

No it's all good
 
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x3 on the Toothpick. Use that on all of my iOS devices. You have to be careful. Or a rocket blower that you use for a camera lens. Clean air vs can air.
 
x3 on the Toothpick. Use that on all of my iOS devices. You have to be careful. Or a rocket blower that you use for a camera lens. Clean air vs can air.

There's a company called Miller-Stephenson who produces a whole line of industrial-type aerosol cleaners that are used throughout the electronics industry for just this type of thing. Been using them for years both my film & digital cameras. One of their aerosols is a combination high-pressure squirt can that contains an electronics contact cleaner. Blows out the junk AND cleans the electronic contact strips & won't harm the circuit boards, aluminum or PLASTIC.

But yeah, you could look for a case that has plugs that cover the charging port (I have a customized Otterbox with the fluorescent orange inner liner from one of their RealTree cases combined with the black outer silicone bumper from their standard 5s Otterbox case (my local Verizon allowed me to do the switch-up). The black Otterbox case's silicone bumper has built-in covers for the ringer switch AND the charging port. The only thing that gets into the fone is anything that works it's way in through the speaker & microphone grills which is virtually nothing.
 
Why not give something like this or this a go? A friend, who works in a dusty environment, uses them.

The other alternative is to empty your pockets of rubbish :)
 
I was actually having issues with my charge port not working and me thinking something was physically wrong with the port I took it to a apple store and it turned out just being pocket lint. Needless to say I felt pretty stupid. Now I just use the canned air method and it works fine. Never had the problem since
 
My shop can be pretty dusty my Tablesaw will throw sawdust into my pockets. Found plastic shavings in the headset hole yesterday from static when I picked up a part.
 
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