Clean the fluff out of the port!
this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2025
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A toothpick or a needle work very well
A "raw" staple can also be good, though sometimes you need more than one
I use a scalpel with the non-sharpened side of the blade to scrape the debris to the side and then blast it out with an air compressor. All the things I used before that were not pointy and thin enough to get inside the port.
The best I found was a plastic tooth flossing pick. Use the pointy side. It's non conductive to prevent shorting of pins.
i like to snap the toothpick so it splits on an angle. that way it's narrower and the jagged edges grab onto the dust and crap
Needles are much better for this, with toothpicks you might damage the sides or leave splinters behind in the port.
Those plastic fishbone toothpicks works wonders for anything small and electronic.
If cleaning out the port with a stick still doesn't work, try using a small amount of a high percentage isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush to clean out the port. It's done wonders for me.
Works for both phones and ears.
Step 1: get wooden toothpick
Step 2: sharpen toothpick (unless smoll enough)
Step 3: patiently remove all the wool/dust/fiber in the charge hole. It looks like belly button lint.
Step 4: your usb works again, and you didn't need to change your 1000$ phone ffs
Step 3 is actually break off the toothpick in the port.
Step 4 is find that tiny sewing needle someone got you in a little sewing kit as a gift as if your not some kind of goblin.
Step 5 wow this needle works great why did I think putting a literal splinter into my phone's charge port was a good idea?
Metal bad for gold, wood breaks but does not scratch metal. Plastic works too but ive had more success with wood since i can shape it
Plastic disposable dental picks work better.
https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-advanced-floss-picks-90-ct-prodid-454381
Perfect size to clean out a USB port without any chance of a short, and they're crazy cheap.
Holy smokes, this actually worked! Still like my wireless charger but dang it'll be nice to charge at places without one again
Get a little pin or toothpick and start digging at the charger port, you’ll be surprised at how much lint and gunk get in there from your pocket. Enough to prevent the charger from popping in fully. Also most times you need a new cord
Mine looked like this when I dug in there
Aka start digging in your (phone's) butt twin
USBussy
99% of the time this is caused by dust/blockage in the charging port! If your phone uses USB-C charging its very easy to clean with a needle without causing any damage.
Mine did something similar where i often get false wet charger alarms and more often than not it doesnt charge or give me an alarm at all now. Luckily wireless charging seems to work consistently for now but i guess i should consider finding a new phone soon.
pro tip: use wireless charging as much as possible, even when USB is still working
not only does it make your USB port last longer, due to the lower amperage when charging wirelessly, it also helps battery longevity!
Oh yes. Wireless charging next to the bed and wireless charging quadlock in a vehicle. But mainly because my toddler likes grabbing wires.
While I've done the same with wireless charging everywhere.
Get magnetic USB cables they break off in case of a snatch.
It will save you a huge headache one day.
Then later on they use the cables to charge whatever old device you gave them. Make them responsible for charging their own devices - which would be very dangerous with a real USB connector.
Didn’t even realise that was a thing. Will look into that, cheers.
From everything I've read, wireless charging and the heat it causes harms battery longevity, not helps it.
Also it is important to know that wireless charging is much less efficient and therefore is environmentally worse than using a corded charger.
I cut old credit cards into tiny hooks and wedges to remove lint, hair, fluff, and whatever else from the charging port because I'm scared of shorting the USB pins with a metal needle.
Keyboard duster cans exist
A lot of it is packed in from the charger shoving it down there, compressed air won't get that out.
At least you can still buy a new charger. Wait until your folding phone will only charge when the phone is at a certain angle.
I use wireless charging as much as possible for this very reason.
That's why I bought a phone with two USB-C ports 😎
That is why I bought a Fairphone, where I can replace the USB-C port myself for 15€.
What in the hell are you guys doing to get that amount of lint in your charge port? Every phone I've had in the last decade has been USB-C, yet I've never had that level of buildup.
It happens if it spends a lot of time upside down in your pocket and you do a lot of moving/walking
...which is like 90% of the conditions my phone sees 😂
I’ve seen the use of hot glue gun in charge port then removed once slightly cooled on YT repair channels. Never tried but might be worth looking into.