How To Clean Aux Port In Phone

By Joseph Albanese

Easy Methods to a Clean Headphone Jack

Follow the steps below to learn how to keep this area clean.

I recently had my iPod Touch in my pocket without the headphones in. I then discovered that a large piece of pocket lint got wedged inside of the jack. I couldn't plug my headphones in since they wouldn't lock in all the way. The partial amount that could only resulted in some music and white noise. So I then proceeded to think of a solution that wouldn't result in my jack being broken, but would do the trick. Here are some tips I recommend to clear dust, lint, and debris from most headphone jacks. Before trying these ideas, make sure to power off your device and weigh the options before you.

Compressed Air

A can of pressurized air, buy-able at most tech stores such as Radio Shack and Best Buy,

Normal can of air.

is one of the easiest ways to upkeep crevices in most devices. It has a long, thin tube for the concentrated air to blow out dust and will most likely clear it out without harming the device. Air cans are also popular for cleaning hard drives and fans in opened computers.
Cotton Swab

Remove the cotton from the swab until it is able to fit inside the jack. Insert and rotate inside to clean the jack of dust. One can add rubbing alcohol to this as well, but follow steps below.
Headphone Jack

WARNING!Improper use could cause damage to device.

Sometimes, repeatedly inserting and removing headphones into the jack can clean it out. This won't reach the very inside of the jack, but when combined with rubbing alcohol, can be very effective. Make sure device is off before ever using liquids on a device. Rubbing alcohol has a chance of corroding metal and should be used scarcely. Put some alcohol on the end of your headphones on the jack (do NOT pour it in the headphone jack hole). Wipe the jack with a clean, dry towel before inserting. Repeatedly insert and remove your headphone jack from the device after the alcohol has dried.
Paper Clip

WARNING!Improper use could cause damage to device.

A paper clip doesn't have a sharp end and therefore can easily be used to scrape large particles out of the jack. Placing tape on the end after unfolding the clip can also make it able to stick dust to it while also being a blunt tool. This IS metal so there is a chance of it harming your device.
Needle

WARNING!Improper use could cause damage to device.

This method was actually the one that worked for me since the piece of lint was large and needed to be scraped out; however, this method would have the highest chance of damaging the device since sharp objects are being jammed up in it. Take a normal sewing needle and carefully insert it inside the headphone jack and try to work it around until the lint comes out while holding the device upright so gravity can help out. This method should be used for large pieces of debris as it would be impractical to use for simple cleaning. A pipe cleaner could also be used as a substitute, but could also damage the device.