How can I clean my Lumia 1020 Port?

[Windows Central Question]

Cleaning Lumia 1020 Port

Hi all,

My Nokia Lumia is about 15 months old, give or take, and is a nightmare to charge now. Regular cables, no matter what one I try, will slowly pop out. At a guess, I'd say that it isn't locking in. I've resorted to using a charging dock, with a bit of card behind the phone to hold it up (probably due to the weight from the camera, it dips back slightly) to make sure that theres a secure connection for the charger.

I think if anything, it probably needs a good clean out of pocket fluff but I'm not sure on the best way to go about it. I had an old iPhone previously that I took into an Apple store and they quickly used some sort of liquid to sort that one out for me, but I'm not sure about doing that myself. What would be the best liquid and method to do so?

I've also seen people recommended use of a small needle or toothpick, but I'm concerned about damaging the pins.

Any help on what the best method to go about cleaning it would be HUGELY appreciated.

Thanks
Chris

 

[gpobernardo]

Re: Cleaning Lumia 1020 Port

Hello, Chris. Welcome to Windows Central.

I also have a Lumia 1020 and similarly aged as well, but so far I'm not experiencing charging difficulties.

Anyway, I won't recommend using a liquid cleaner - whatever the Apple store representatives used must have been specifically designed for that purpose with a specific composition.

I recommend using a dry air blower, either from something similar to a rubber aspirator (used for cleaning camera lenses) but has a thin nozzle that would allow you to blow air into the charging port with enough force from the wind, or from a can of compressed air. Do not blow into the port using a straw and your breath, since moisture from exhaled air may enter the phone, condense and finally damage certain internal components.

If that doesn't help, try using a folded piece of cardboard or paper (folded several times such that it can be used...) to disturb, dislodge or scoop out the accumulated gunk in the port. That should be hard enough for still softer than the metal pins so you won't damage them.

You may create a Windows Central account to respond in this thread.

 

[jmshub]

Re: Cleaning Lumia 1020 Port

Yep, I recommend a can of compressed air. Don't use liquids.