How to clean USB port on laptop

Smartphones, tablets, and laptops are meant to be portable. As a result, these devices spend a lot of time in our hands, in pockets, in purses, on dirty tables, outside, and other places where they can get dirty. If it's harder to insert your charging cable into the port, the cable pops out, or charging is taking longer than usual, it's likely that dust and/or other debris has made its way inside the port. This wikiHow teaches you how to safely clean debris from your phone, tablet, or laptop's USB-C or Lightning charging port.

1. 1
   Gather your materials. You can usually clean your charging port with materials you already have in your house. Anything you don't have can be found easily at department stores and online retailers. Here's what you'll need:

   • A can of compressed air. These cans come with thin straws that attaches to their nozzles, making it easy to spray controlled bursts into small spaces.
   • A thin wooden toothpick or the sharp end of a plastic dental pick.[1]
   • A cotton ball or pad.
   • Isopropyl alcohol [if there's gunk inside the port that can't be sprayed away or loosened]. [2] You could also use quick-drying contact cleaner, which you can spray directly into your port.
   • A flat, dust-free table or desk in a well-lit area.
2. 2
   Wrap a small bit of cotton around your toothpick. The idea is to turn your toothpick into somewhat of a cotton swab, but with less cotton so it fits inside of the port. Start by laying a round cotton pad or cotton ball onto a flat surface. Then, insert your toothpick into a very thin layer of the cotton at a 20-degree angle. Holding the cotton down with one hand, twist the toothpick until a small amount of cotton wraps around its tip.[3] Do this to both ends of the toothpick, if possible.

   • You could try a cotton swab, but they are usually too thick to fit inside of a charging port. If all you have is a cotton swab, remove some of the cotton so that only a small amount remains around each tip. [4]
   • If you're cleaning the charging port of a PC laptop that has a DC power port instead of USB-C, use a flashlight to look inside the port first. Sometimes these ports have pins at their centers that can be easy to break. If you can't fit a toothpick inside of the port without touching the pin, take your PC to a service center for cleaning instead.
3. 3
   Turn off your phone, tablet, or laptop. Always shut down your phone or tablet before cleaning it to avoid damage or injury. If your device has a removable battery, remove it as an extra precaution.
4. 4
   Blow compressed air into the charger port in 1 to 2-second bursts. Position the straw to the left or right side of the charging port. Press down onto the port and hold the straw steady. Press down on the nozzle for 1 to 2 seconds to blow air into the port while holding the straw steady.

   • To avoid damaging the port, don't hold down the nozzle for more than 2 seconds. Too much air pressure can disrupt the phone or tablet's delicate internal structures.
   • Resist the urge to blow into the port with your mouth! This could add moisture to the port and potentially break your phone or tablet.[5]
5. 5
   Drag the cotton-lined toothpick along the inner wall of the port.[6] When inserting the tip of the toothpick or swab, lean it against any side of the port's internal walldon't just jab it in there. Then, drag the end of the swab or toothpick along all sides of the inner wall until you've effectively loosened all debris. If there's a bunch of gunk inside of the port, you'll probably have to do this several times.

   • Be gentle, but firmjust firm enough to remove stuck-on debris.
   • If there is gunk inside of the port, you could dampen the cotton with a very small amount of rubbing alcohol and repeat the process. Make sure the cotton isn't wet, just dampyou don't want to introduce any liquids into the port.[7]
6. 6
   Spray away loosened debris with more compressed air. Hold the phone, tablet, or laptop so that the charging port tilts downward toward your working surfacethis will allow the dirt to fall freely from the port to the surface instead of getting stuck inside. Spray a few quick bursts inside the port again until it is clear of debris.

   • If it's difficult to get the remaining dirt out of the port, you could try wrapping double-sided tape around the end of a sewing or a syringe needle and gently nudging it free.
   • If there is visible debris that you can't remove using these methods, take your device to a service center.
   • If you are still having trouble with your charging port, check your charging cableit could be dirty or damaged. If you have another charging cable, give that one a try.

• If you're bringing your phone, tablet, or laptop somewhere it'll be likely to get dirty, cover the charging port with a piece of tape to protect it while not in use.
• You can also buy charging port dust plugs from electronics stores and online retailers. When shopping for a dust plug, make sure you get the right size for your charging port. There are dust plugs for all types of ports, including USB-C, Lightning, and even headphone jacks.

This article was written by Mitch Harris. Mitch Harris is a Consumer Technology Expert based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mitch runs his own IT Consulting company called Mitch the Geek, helping individuals and businesses with home office technology, data security, remote support, and cybersecurity compliance. Mitch earned a BS in Psychology, English, and Physics and graduated Cum Laude from Northern Arizona University. This article has been viewed 178,856 times.

Categories: Cell Phone Maintenance

Deutsch:Eine Ladebuchse reinigen

हिन्दी:एक चार्जर पॉट को क्लीन करें [Clean a Charger Port]

Tiếng Việt:Vệ sinh cổng sạc

Bahasa Indonesia:Membersihkan Porta Pengisi Daya

한국어:충전 포트 청소하는 방법

中文:清理充电接口

日本語:充電口を掃除する

Türkçe:Şarj Cihazı Girişi Nasıl Temizlenir

Nederlands:Een oplaadpoort schoonmaken

العربية:تنظيف منفذ الشاحن

Español:limpiar el puerto del cargador

Français:nettoyer un connecteur de charge

ไทย:ทำความสะอาดพอร์ทชาร์จ