How to clean your phone, laptop and other tech devices

As the owner of a range of devices — including smartphones, laptops and earbuds — I’ve seen my tech gather dust and dirt over time with ease. From visible crumbs all over the keyboards, smudged screens and dust bunnies in the vents, my gadgets have experienced it all. To help you keep your own devices clean and smudge-free, we spoke to experts about what they use to achieve cleaner devices and gathered their recommendations for the best tech cleaning products to shop.

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Below, we listed the best cleaning accessories for tech recommended by experts. In line with our experts’ guidance, we paid attention to the following points:

The following products were recommended by our experts to clean various devices and components of devices, including keyboards, screens and ports. We’ve also highlighted how each cleaning product is meant to be used.

Burton Kelso, chief technology expert at Integral, recommended PhoneSoap to help disinfect your smartphone. PhoneSoap — which was featured on Shark Tank in 2015 — uses built-in UV lighting to kill germs and bacteria in 10 minutes or less, according to the brand. The PhoneSoap 3 simultaneously charges your phone while it disinfects. Kelso mentioned that it won’t be able to get out visible dust and dirt, so you should still wipe your screen with a microfiber cloth before using PhoneSoap. The brand also offers several variations of the disinfecting device, including the PhoneSoap basic and PhoneSoap wireless.

Our experts recommended compressed air as the best way to clean keyboards, vents and ports. “You’ll need to turn the keyboard on its side and blow the compressed air into the slots between the keys in order to dislodge dust and any other particles that may have made it inside your keyboard,” Kelso says.

Dylan “Envoy” Hannon, a professional gamer and Call of Duty esports player, suggested removing any key caps because they can prevent you from thoroughly cleaning your keyboard. He also recommended using compressed air cans to remove any dust from the bottom of the keyboard.

Kelso warned against using disinfectant wipes on your screens since they can cause damage. Instead, he recommended the Pure & Clean Surface Cleanser Pro, which you can spray directly onto your device’s screen and wipe it off with a microfiber cloth. This cleaner’s formula doesn’t contain any alcohol or harsh chemicals, according to the brand. Plus, you can use it to wipe down your desk or gaming area, too.

Gamers know the hassle of getting all sorts of liquids on their controllers — I’ve had to clean food stains, soda and other miscellaneous stains off of mine. Hannon recommended adding rubbing alcohol to cotton swabs and dabbing them onto the buttons, joysticks and back of the controller to keep it clean.

Amazon Basics’ cotton swabs are double-tipped, so you can use both sides. If you want to stock up, we suggest grabbing the four-pack, which will give you a total of 2,000 swabs for cleaning purposes.

Kelso recommended using a wooden or plastic toothpick to grab any food crumbs stuck inside your ports, followed by compressed air to get any other stubborn particles out. “You want to avoid metal toothpicks because they can cause your tech devices to short out,” he says. These durable bamboo toothpicks come in an easy-to-store plastic container. You can buy a 2-pack of 500 toothpicks, or invest in a larger 4-pack for 2,000 toothpicks.

Hannon uses electronic wipes to keep his headphones clean, especially after they get greasy with use. “A couple of wipe downs, and they’ll be as good as new,” he says. You can use these wipes to clean the outside of your headset cups and headband, and let them air dry or wipe them down with a microfiber cloth afterward. (If you have a leather headset, Hannon recommended investing in leather-specific wipes.)

Below, we share how to clean specific tech devices based on our experts’ guidance, including beginner tips for first-timers and cleaning accessories to keep in mind.

Kelso suggested cleaning your devices weekly or on a monthly basis at the very least. Both experts agreed that your cleaning schedule should depend on how often you use your electronics. For example, since he frequently uses his controller and mouse while gaming, Hannon says he cleans them every three or four days.

For surfaces like your laptop or smartphone screens, it's best to try and clean them at least once every two weeks, according to Hannon. As for the interior of your desktops and laptops (including vents), you'll want to clean them at least once a year. You might have to partially dismantle certain electronics like PCs and laptops to clean their interior, Kelso says. For this reason, it’s best to get a professional to help you out: Kelso recommended getting in touch with a tech-savvy relative or your favorite tech support company.

At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

Nishka Dhawan is the associate commerce editor at NBC Select and has covered tech and electronics for over three years. For this article, she interviewed two tech experts to understand the best cleaning tips for electronics.

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Nishka Dhawan is the associate commerce editor at NBC Select.