Help - liquid soap stuck in 3.5mm headphone jack

not_bobby_shmurda · 9 Dec 2019 at 02:06

Hi, this is my first post on this forum so please forgive me if I mess something up as I am not familiar with this site.

Basically a van crashed into a bus stop right outside my house and I was the first one to go out and check if everybody was okay. I was on the phone to ambulance operator people and assisting with injured person simultaneously. I got a fair bit of blood on my hands and on my phone. Wasn't that much of a problem as I could clean thoroughly using hand wash. To wash my mobile phone I covered a piece of kitchen towel with hand wash and rubbed all over phone making sure not to miss any spots.

When I woke up this morning I switched the phone on and noticed the headphone icon which normally shows when headphones are plugged in. I did not have any plugged in. Some of the soap must have dried in the 3.5mm jack. Is there a way I can get this out with minimal damage? I am very reluctant to turn the phone on as I am worried it may short circuit or explode or something. Thanks for reading and any help is much appreciated!

b00merang69 · 9 Dec 2019 at 02:19

This sound like one of those "I was doing my housework naked and I slipped and got stuck in my vacuum cleaner" stories that ends with a call to the fire brigade or visit to Hospital.

Headphone jacks are prone to acting up with rain etc tarnishing the coating.

I bought pipe-cleaner and Bottle cleaners to fix my last phones jack but once it was corroded I had to keep doing it as the plating was gone so it did not last.

So pipe cleaners/Brushes and iso alcohol and then lubricate the jack and with switch cleaner/lube and plug in and out a few times.

100x 15cm x 3mm Assorted Cotton Pipe Cleaners (UK Made) < Amazon

And/Or

Sannysis Set of 10 Bottiglia Spazzole Cucina, Pennello Pulito Set,Spazzola flessibile con dimensioni, per Tubi, filtri, lavelli, bottiglie < Amazon

SHL BRAND ISOPROPANOL IPA Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% Pure (1 Litre) 1000 ml < Amazon

Servisol Super 10 Professional DJ Fader and Switch Cleaner Spray < Amazon

not_bobby_shmurda · 9 Dec 2019 at 02:31

Thanks for replying, lol I understand that it sounds unbelievable. I don't currently have access to a pipe cleaner so I have inserted a cotton bud in there a few times but it seems to not have worked. I have just checked the obttle and it does not mention anything about being flammable which is reassuring. Would there still be a chance of it short circuiting though? I washed the phone about 17 hours ago and it still feels greasy.

b00merang69 · 9 Dec 2019 at 05:35

Doubt it will short due to low voltages and soap is but you really need to get it cleaned out and back to a good electrical signal.

not_bobby_shmurda · 9 Dec 2019 at 11:13

So last night I rolled up numerous pieces of kitchen towel and shoved it in. When I woke up this morning the phone no longer shows the headphone icon. Is this what you would say is cleaned and back to a good electrical signal? Or should I take it to a repair shop to have it cleaned professionally or something?

hardkore · 10 Dec 2019 at 14:07

I'd imagine the headphone jack on almost everything is a sealed unit. My 2 pence would be use something like electrical contact cleaner on a cotton bud and just go at it. Make sure to turn your phone off first and use the cleaner sparingly. It's usually solvent based so it should evaporate.

not_bobby_shmurda · 11 Dec 2019 at 00:53

Thanks for replying. I will look into that. I haven't yet attempted to recharge the phone. Is it worth putting some in the charger port as well as it evaporates? That's assuming I find something small enough to rub it in the charger port with.

darael · 11 Dec 2019 at 13:45

As above, turn your phone off before cleaning the ports.

What I would do is spray a little bit of contact up the 3.5mm jack and insert a pair of headphones into the jack a few times, while cleaning the plug. One last blast with the contact cleaner and get as much as you can out by shaking - being careful not to let go of the phone.

You could do your charger port too while you're at it. I do this with mine every 6 months or so if I have problems with charging and haven't seen anything bad as a result of doing so.

Before turning the phone back on, let the ports dry out for an hour, standing the phone so that any liquid can drip out onto a tissue

not_bobby_shmurda · 13 Dec 2019 at 10:17

Okay, thanks for replying. I'll do that then.