How to clean a smartphone

Because smartphones experience frequent travel and use, they often accumulate dirt and smudges on the front and back. A dirty touch screen can prevent gestures and finger taps from being recognized in certain areas of the screen.

Dust and other particles can also collect in small spaces, like the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, charging port, or speakers, preventing them from working properly.

It's also important to clean your smartphone to prevent the spread of germs. Germs can gather on smartphones due to the large variety of surfaces it comes into contact with, and because it's so frequently touched.

Removing smudges from the front and back

With the increasing popularity of all-glass phones, fingerprints often leave marks on not only the front of the device but also the back. These smudges can be easily removed with a small microfiber cloth, like the one pictured.

Substances like glass cleaner or other alcohol can remove dirt from the surface of the phone. After wetting a corner of the microfiber cloth, carefully wipe down the phone, and then use a dry corner to remove all liquid from the phone.

Cleaning dust from ports on the phone

When dust accumulates in the charging port, it can prevent the phone from charging properly. Dust in the speakers and other ports can also cause problems with the functions of your phone. Removing this dust can often solve problems you may be experiencing with these ports.

Compressed air recommended for electronics can be sprayed into ports to loosen and remove dust. Small objects like toothpicks can manually remove any dust that isn't loosened enough by compressed air.