97% iso is probably the best thing to use just don't soak your phone use qtips and microfiber cloth. Hot glue is a semi risky way to clean ports of residual lint and dirt but rinse with iso first then fully dry before applying hot glue. Let glue set then peel.
this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2026
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Actually lower percentages work better, if we're talking about disinfecting
We're usually not. It's to dissolve gunk. And on the topic of iso, 99% is pretty much not 99% after opening the container
Really? we had 99 percent to clean a laser machine lens at a leather shop. I never really thought about it.
Lenses for a laser is better to clean with 99%iso due to it barely leaving any residue when evaporating, but even that is a compromise.
What you really want is pure ("100%") alcohol/ethanol to leave even less of trace. Unfortunately most people or companies can't buy pure ethanol due to the nature of alcohol laws, so a substitute like isopropyl is used instead since its usually "good enough "
We're talking about not shorting the electronics 3%water won't normally make sparks
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Use a 97%+ isopropyl alcohol wetted cloth or cotton ball, don't immerse the phone.
Other people have already given sensible suggestions, but I’ll mention one group of chemicals that can damage your phone: bases.
If your phone has aluminium parts, highly concentrated bases will begin to gradually dissolve them. Hopefully nobody was thinking of using dishwasher tablets to make a soap solution for your phone. That’s a bad idea, since the resulting solution has a very high pH-value (base). What about the powder used for washing clothes? Same thing. Even regular hand soap is basic, but it’s nowhere near that extreme.
Exposure time also matters. If you just wipe the phone with a damp cloth, the time will be very short. If you really want to damage the aluminium parts with hand soap, it’s going to take an absurdly long time to do anything. However, those dishwasher tablets are a different beast.
Temperature matters too. These kinds of reactions happen faster if you heat up the solution.
With soaps and indeed many bases you also have to remember they are made to lower surface tension. Which means soap gets in smaller holes than plain water your water resistant phones were tested with. So very careful with the wetness if you use those.
I clean my phone using window cleaner and a paper towel. Modern phones aren't that sensitive so I really don't think you need to worry much about what you use. Just maybe don't spray liquids directly into speakers/mic or USB ports.
Yeah, window cleaner or alcohol in general has the advantage that it dissipates, making it much less likely for it to get into the electronics and shortcircuit something.
Isopropyl alcohol is nearly nonconductive, I've used it and a detail brush to clean motherboards with zero issue. Its not going to do anything to your phone.
I use a alcohol swab on my phone everyday after work. I get em in bulk and just wipe my phone down. Quick and disposable so I can take a bunch with me when I travel.
There’s a putty for clearing out any mesh grills or small holes, stubborn edges, getting gunk out of earbuds, etc. that you can buy so you don’t have to worry about poking something with tweezers or a toothpick.
For the outside, I just use an antibac wipe. For the ports and grills, I bought a set of anti-static tweezers for this purpose.
I'm seeing a lot of comments for super high concentrations of isopropyl alcohol to disinfect. As a public service announcement, 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) a Better Disinfectant than 99%
Okay. This isn’t about disinfecting. This is about electronics safety. The higher the better
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99% isopropyl alcohol is ideal as a solvent or cleaning agent for industries that produce water sensitive items, therefore rapid evaporation and low water content is favorable. 99% USP IPA provides the lowest presence of water and in some forms is free from denaturants. Computer technicians, medical device manufacturers, printed circuit board manufacturers, and soldering and rework technicians prefer immediate evaporation for work with sensitive devices such as integrated circuit adapters, computer chips, and circuit boards. 99% IPA evaporates cleanly and minimizes residual substances. Rapid evaporation reduces shelf life but is more effective against sticky residues, grease, and grime than 70% concentrations. Because isopropanol is hygroscopic, acetone may yield better grime fighting results for inks or oils.
The URL you shared recommends using 99% IPA for electronics.
I'm specifically commenting on disinfecting, and the electronics being mentioned are things like circuit boards, not phones, which are almost universally water resistant.
Rubbing alcohol on a towel, clorox if it's something gross. Wipe where needed, don't let anything soak. Small pick-like tools for ports
Some fine point tweezers are usually useful for getting lint out of the USB port, I have done it fairly aggressively and not done any damage yet.
Depends, my phone is IP69K so I washed it with hand soap, warm water and a towel dry lol
No, don't use soap! It changes the surface tension of water and can allow to enter your phone when it otherwise wouldn't be able to.
Lol don't depend on it.
I had a Samsung Galaxy S23 that got water damage after I did this at least once everyday for months, not covered by warranty. I did that because I was germophobic af triggered by covid, now i just use those wet wipes to wipe off the germs.
I've done that with all my phones since BlackBerry
well I usually use luke cold water
The best option is to look at the manufacturer for your phone. They should have instructions for your model. These iPhone instructions are a good general guide, but there might be specific recommendations for whatever model you’re cleaning.
Ngl. I came here expecting how to properly delete/shred data from a smartphone e.g. when selling or otherwise giving it to someone else
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I pretty much use this stuff on everything. Spray it on the cloth, though, not the screen.
For the ports, I just use compressed air.
IIRC you should be careful not to spray that for too long or it can spit some weird liquid too. Shitty brands can do that.
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Compressed air is not a good idea for any port or internal component
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