WARNING: You must not use anything except a toothpick for this job. Pins, paperclips, needles etc may fit in the hole – but because they are metal, you risk making an electrical short circuit that could destroy the phone.
To remove sand, dust, or other hard-to-see debris, an air compressor is your best bet. Try cleaning your charging port by gently loosening sand with a toothpick first. If your iPhone charging port is still not working, try compressed air. The best way to get sand out of a charging port is to use an air compressor.
Using a can of compressed air is the safest way to clean your iPhone's port. Hold the can upright but not too close to the port, and apply a few short blasts of air. You should see small particles falling out of the phone charging port. This is also an option if you need to clean your AirPods and AirPods case.
The best way to clean a USB-C port is with a can of compressed air and a shaved toothpick. Blasting it with compressed air will shake loose dirt, which you can then clean out with the toothpick.
Turn off your device and use the can of compressed air or the bulb syringe to clean out the charging port. Blast a few short bursts and see if any dust falls out. If using compressed air, make sure you're holding the can upright to avoid getting water inside the port.
You can clean it out with compressed air or a toothpick, but always be very careful. Never insert anything metallic in the iPhone's charging port, and do not get it wet.
Best of all, an Apple Store should clean your port and get your iPhone working again for free. If you don't have a nearby Apple Store, you can take your phone into any similar type of repair shop, jewelry repair shop, or business that specializes in mobile devices or equipment, and they should be able to help you.
If they find it to be defective, and it's under warranty, they would replace it. If it's not under warranty they will tell you what options you have.
One of the most common causes of charging problems is surprising – dust. Lint and other dirt collects in the charging port, obstructing the battery connectors. When you insert your charging cable, the dust prevents a good electrical connection being made, so no power is directed into the battery.
The charging port on your phone is probably the problem if the new charger doesn't work either. Try jiggling the charging cable while it's inserted into your phone if your phone isn't charging properly. If the phone begins to charge when you wriggle the wire, the charging port may be loose.
Remove any debris from the charging port on the bottom of your device. Restart your iPhone or iPod touch. Try a different USB cable or charger. Make sure that you have the latest version of iOS.
If you have to hold your phone at a particular angle for it to charge correctly, it may be that the port has come loose. This will need to be repaired sooner rather than later as continued use in this condition will likely cause further damage.
Tap your iPhone gently against your hand with the Lightning connector facing down to remove excess liquid. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow. After at least 30 minutes, try charging with a Lightning cable or connecting a Lightning accessory.
Check your iPhone's charging port using a flashlight - see if you can spot any specific pockets of dirt or debris you need to tackle. Start with your toothpick or paperclip - if your charging port has been clogged up for some time you will probably need to loosen things up to begin with.
Turn off your iPhone by going to Settings > General > Shut Down. Grab a small toothpick, or roll a paper or cotton product into a small tip. Carefully insert the tip into the port and jiggle it to loosen dirt or debris. Give the port another burst of compressed air to help remove anything you've loosened.
Remove Lint and Dust Buildup
The most common reason charging ports feel loose is that every time you insert the cable, you push a small amount of debris into the port. As this debris builds up in the port, the cable connection becomes increasingly shallow.
You want to take a gentler approach. For a basic cleaning session, you need a can of compressed air and a wooden toothpick or plastic flossing tool. Start by spraying the air into the port at an angle. This step will remove any loose debris that could damage the components as you continue to clean.
Use isopropyl alcohol or electronics cleaner to work on sticky substances. If the port has some sort of gunk or goo inside, wrap a small amount of the cotton around the end of the dental pick, and dampen the cotton with a small amount of isopropyl alcohol.