Now that touchscreens and smartphones have emerged as the standard device most of us have, it has never been so popular for phones to get scratched. Scratches can Range from a cosmetic dent to complete-blown harm to your machine, depending on the degree and location of the scratch. Although the worst scratches normally involve the replacement of the screen, at home, minor and moderate scratches can be resolved.
To somehow get rid of scratchings from a mobile phone display, try buffering them out with toothpaste (that is if the display is plastic) or a glass polish (if the screen is glass). After eliminating the problem, you must also take precautions to prevent future scratches too.
In this article three (3) methods will be explained as follows:
(1) Using Toothpaste (for Plastic Screens)
Have your toothpaste ready
A regular component of your medicine cabinet and morning routine should already be toothpaste. The toothpaste is made to be abrasive and can repair a plastic scratch just like it cleans teets. Since it is home-based and does not entail extra purchases, the preferred solution for repairing plastic scratches is toothpaste. It is necessary to ensure that, as opposed to a gell-based toothpaste, the toothpaste is an actual paste. The toothpaste needs to be abrasive in order for scratches to work. Check your toothpaste box if you’re unsure about the kind of toothpaste you are using.
A baking soda mixture has the same abrasive ability as the toothpaste you want to use for this step. If you want to use baking soda, you can stir up a paste and use it in the same manner.
Append the toothpaste with a tool to apply
Since it’s a home-based remedy, there are no set rules for the applicator that you’ll have to use. A soft fabric, a silk towel, a soft cloth or a toothbrush may all suit your needs in this case. You can only use a noodle-sized amount when you dab the toothpaste. Any more would make an unmanageable mess on your screen.
Add the toothpaste to the scratch
After you’ve gotten your toothpaste dab, rub it along in a gentle, circular pattern. Continue to do this until the scratching is barely visible. Since the toothpaste is abrasive itself, you won’t have to put far to much pressure. Keep on wiping until you begin to see improvement. And if the mark is too big to be completely removed, the abrasion can minimize the scratch.
If your scratch is significant enough, toothpaste won’t be enough to fix it. Even so, it should at least reduce the look of most scratches.
Clean up your cellphone
As quick as the scratch is minimized to your satisfaction, it is a quick toothpaste cleaning process. Having a tender, slightly moist cloth and cleaning off the excess toothpaste is a great starting point.
After this, take a polishing cloth and clean away any dirt or oils that may otherwise have been mounted on your device. Through doing this, you’re going to refresh the look of your smartphone, and potentially make your smartphone look better than it was before the scratch.
(2) Use Polish Glass (for glass screens)
Consider buying a polish of cerium oxide.
If your phone has a glass screen (instead of a plastic one) you’re going to have to use a rather heavy-duty remedy than toothpaste or baking soda to get the marks off your phone. A cerium oxide polish is prescribed in this case. This type of polish can be purchased as a dissolved powder or in a pre-mixed form. Although pre-mixed polish is obviously the most convenient choice, you’re going to get a much good price if you buy it in its powdered form.
100 g of cerium oxide powder is supposed to be quite enough when it happens to polish your phone screen. However, in the event of potential scratching, you might want to buy a greater volume.
Mix the powder in the slurry
If you purchased cerium oxide powder, you’ll have to prepare the mixture yourself first. Luckily, this is really easy, and it’s definitely worth the money you’re going to save. Add some powder (approx. 50-100 g) to a small pan. Slowly add more water until the solution has the appearance of milk cream. Mix periodically as you add water to make sure the measurements are correct.
Measurements don’t have to be perfect for this paint, as long as you make sure there’s enough water for the paint to be soaked in the applicator.
This move can be totally skipped if you buy a pre-mixed polish.
Block all weak spots with tape
Cerium oxide polish can do some damage to your smartphone if it spills into some of the device spaces, like a speaker, a power button or a charging port. It can also damage the video lens of your cellphone. With that in mind, first of all, you need to cover the region you’d like to have polished with tape. Cover up any parts of your smartphones that could have problems if they were touched by the polish.
Taping the phone before cleaning can also seem unnecessarily harsh, but it is strongly recommended that you take this measure before continuing. In the event of an accident, otherwise, your cell phone can be ruined.
Apply the polish to the scribbled region
Put a smooth polishing cloth in your cerium oxide mixture and rub the scratched region in a vigorous, circular motion. [9] Check periodically to see how the scratch looks like you tend to the area. It’s a good idea every 30 seconds or so to clean off the mixture with the opposite end of your cloth, dab the cloth in a new polish, and repeat the procedure for optimum productivity.
When applying abrasive paint, you’re going to want to go faster with the application than if you were just wiping it. Make sure you’re not going too hard, though. Nothing would be worse than producing fresh cracks on the computer when you’re trying to patch the old ones.
Give your phone a follow-up clean.
Once you’ve applied and cleaned off the polish, it won’t hurt to give your phone a quick once-over with a polishing cloth. This will wipe away any excess debris caused by the polish process. Remove the tape you added before polishing and wipe your phone. It doesn’t need to take more than a minute or two to do thoroughly, but you may be impressed how much nicer your phone looks once you’ve wiped away the excess muck.
You should wipe your screen regularly
Twice a day may sound like a lot, but it only takes a second and will ensure your screen stays healthy.
(3) Preventing Scratches
Purchase a screen protector.
Cellphones have never been so fragile and prone to scratching as they are today. Screen protectors are commonplace, and you should invest in one if you’re the slightest bit worried about damaging your phone. Common phone protectors aren’t generally too expensive, and they’ll be much more affordable than replacing your screen or phone if the damage is bad enough. Higher-end protectors are virtually unbreakable, while affordable brands will at least take damage so your phone proper won’t have to. You can get screen protectors from either local stores or online electronic stores.
Between a plastic screen protector and tempered glass protector, you are better off investing in the latter. Tempered glass protectors offer more lasting, view, and finger touch.
Wipe the screen periodically
Small scratching can occur on your screen if you leave dirt and particles on your screen. Cleaning your phone with a microfibre cloth or silk cloth a few times a day will keep your phone screen looking the best. Wiping your screen is particularly useful if your smartphone is a touchscreen, as designed, oils and fingerprints will darken and blur the screen.
Using clothes like a shirt sleeve or even a dishcloth can also act as screen wipers, but preferably, you’ll want the smoothness of silk or microfiber when it comes to holding your screen.
Put your phone somewhere safe.
Most of the time your phone is scratched or broken, you’re going somewhere. It is important to remember where the scratches come from and how they are most likely to be made. Place your phone in a separate pocket with your money or coins. If necessary, put your phone in a zip pouch to prevent it from accidentally falling out.
Don’t put your phone in your back pocket, please. At the top of the possibility of cracking if you sit on it, there have been reports of nerve injuries caused by the strain on your back.