How to clean your phone: screen, back, camera and case

Step by step: how to clean your phone

Safety first. Unplug the phone and turn it off before you clean it. Never spray liquid onto the phone or submerge it, even if it is water resistant, and never use products with bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

1. 1

   Take off the case and turn the phone off

   Remove the case and any screen protector you plan to replace, unplug cables, and power the phone down. Dirt collects between the case and the phone, so you will clean both separately. A dark screen also makes smudges easier to see.

2. 2

   Dust the phone and the openings

   Brush lint and crumbs off the edges, buttons, speaker grilles and the camera bump with a soft, dry brush. Brush across openings, not into them. Do not use compressed air, which can push debris deeper and damage microphones.

3. 3

   Wipe the screen with a damp cloth

   Dampen a corner of a microfiber cloth with a little water so it is slightly damp, not wet. Wipe the screen with light, overlapping strokes, then buff with a dry part of the cloth. The glass has an oil-repellent coating, so most fingerprints lift with water alone.

4. 4

   Clean the back, frame and buttons

   Wipe the back glass, metal frame and buttons the same way. For grime in the seam around the buttons, use the dry brush. Keep the cloth away from the charging port and speaker holes.

5. 5

   Clean the camera lenses

   Wipe each camera lens and the flash with a clean, dry section of the microfiber cloth in small circles. If a smudge stays, slightly dampen the cloth with water and wipe again, then buff dry. A clean lens fixes most hazy or glowing photos.

6. 6

   Disinfect the outside if needed

   Gently wipe the screen, back and sides with a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe or a Clorox Disinfecting Wipe, squeezed so it is not dripping. Check that the wipes have not expired. Let the surfaces air dry, then buff off any streaks with a dry microfiber cloth.

7. 7

   Wash the case and let it dry fully

   Most silicone and plastic cases can be washed with warm water and a drop of dish soap, scrubbed with a soft toothbrush, and rinsed; leather cases need a damp cloth only. Let the case dry completely, at least an hour, before you put the phone back in, or trapped moisture will sit against the phone.

What can you use to clean a phone screen?

A soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth is all most phone screens need, and alcohol or disinfecting wipes are fine for germs. Apple’s iPhone cleaning instructions say you may gently wipe the outside with a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe, a 75% ethyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, and should not use products containing bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

Android phones have similar glass and coatings, so the same rules work for Samsung, Google Pixel and other models; check your maker’s support page for anything specific to your phone.

How to clean the charging port and speakers safely

Clean ports dry and gently, and never push anything sharp or wet into them. Apple’s liquid-damage guidance says not to insert a foreign object such as a cotton swab or paper towel into the connector, not to use compressed air or an external heat source to dry it, and not to put the phone in rice.

If your phone charges only at an angle or the cable will not seat, lint is probably packed in the port. Our guide to cleaning a phone charging port covers that in detail, and cleaning an iPhone speaker covers muffled sound.

Why gentle cleaning matters: the screen coating

Phone glass has an oil-repellent (oleophobic) coating that makes fingerprints easy to wipe off, and it wears with use. Apple notes that cleaning products and abrasive materials diminish that coating and might scratch the phone, which is why plain water on microfiber is the everyday method.

• If you use a screen protector, clean it the same way; you can be a little less cautious, since it is replaceable.
• Replace a protector that has cracked or lifted at the edges, because dirt collects under it.
• Apple’s general product cleaning guidance also says not to spray cleaners directly onto a device and to avoid excessive wiping.

Mistakes to avoid

• Spraying cleaner or alcohol straight onto the screen, where it can seep into openings.
• Using window cleaner, which can wear down the oil-repellent coating.
• Poking the charging port with a pin or a wet cotton swab.
• Blasting the speaker grilles with compressed air.
• Putting the phone back into a case that is still damp inside.
• Wiping with a paper towel or a shirt, which leaves lint and grit.