Phone Screen Scratch Repair: The Ultimate Guide

You swipe on your phone screen daily, causing its screen to accumulate shallow scratches. Eventually, the slight dents become more noticeable, making your mobile device unsightly. Fortunately, there are many ways to repair your cell phone screen without buying a new phone or taking it to a repair shop.

The best part is that most of these repair methods involve household products like toothpaste and baking soda. Consequently, there’s no reason why you should bear with your phone looking battered and worn. Follow these steps to try and restore your phone to its former sheen.

This article will discuss the best DIY methods for repairing a phone touch screen. Later, I will discuss how to avoid scratching your phone’s glassy surface to ensure your mobile device always looks its best.

The 10 best ways to fix your phone’s scratched screen

1. Brush phone scratches with toothpaste.
2. Wipe phone screens with magic erasers.
3. Remove scratches with baking soda and water.
4. Eliminate minor scratches with baby powder and water.
5. Try an egg and potassium aluminum sulfate.
6. Fix a phone’s screen with glue.
7. Use glass polish for scratched screens.
8. Buff small scratches with sandpaper.
9. Prevent future scratches with a new screen protector.
10. Use a screen replacement kit.

1. Wipe away phone scratches with toothpaste.

The same product keeping your pearly whites shiny can also remove scratches from your phone touch screen. However, you should not scrub your device with a toothbrush!

1. Check if you have regular toothpaste. If yours is translucent, that’s gel-based toothpaste, and you can’t use that.
2. Next, prepare a slightly dampened cloth or a cotton swab.
3. Dab a small amount of toothpaste on the end of your soft cloth or swab.

Then, gently rub the cloth or swab on the phone screen in a circular motion. Keep going until the scratches disappear. Afterward, wipe your glass screen with a slightly moistened cloth or swab to remove any excess toothpaste.

2. Wipe smartphone screens with magic erasers.

Magic erasers are soap-like products that let you remove stains from most surfaces. Fortunately, they could be effective at removing your phone’s scratches. You can easily buy one from a supermarket like Walmart or Target.

Then, take one from the packaging and slightly dampen it like soap. Gently rub it on your phone screen to remove scratches. However, you should be careful when scrubbing your touch screen with a magic eraser.

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Most phone screens have an oleophobic coating, which prevents them from accumulating too much dirt. Excessively scrub your phone, and you might remove that surface. Your phone would likely become easily dirty without that screen coating. Worse, you might put more noticeable dents on your screen.

3. Remove scratches with baking soda and water.

You probably use baking soda to clean your bathroom. Also, your kids may have used it for a science project. It turns out it is useful for removing scratches from your smartphone:

1. Mix two parts baking soda and one part water in a bowl.
2. Next, stir until you form a thick baking soda mixture.
3. Then, apply the paste to a soft cloth and gently rub it in circular motions on micro scratches.
4. Wipe your touch screen with another clean cloth to remove excess residue.

This method works for most people, but you must be careful. Otherwise, you might damage your screen and phone. Again, apply these products gently on your device.

4. Eliminate minor scratches with baby powder and water.

Baby powder helps keep your infant dry and remove surface-level scratches. The best part is it works similarly to the earlier baking soda solution:

1. Mix two parts of baby powder and one part of water in a bowl.
2. Next, stir until you form a baby powder mixture.
3. Then, apply the paste to a soft cloth and gently wipe it in circular motions on minor scratches.
4. Wipe your touch screen with another clean cloth to remove excess residue.
5. Again, ensure you are gentle on the scratched area. Otherwise, you may leave deeper scratches on your screen.

5. Try an egg and potassium aluminum sulfate.

You can try repairing your phone screen by mixing egg whites with potassium aluminum sulfate. Americans can purchase the latter at local drugstores, but your country may have different rules.

1. Combine one egg white with a teaspoon of alum in a saucepan.
2. Next, heat it to 150 °F or roughly 65.5 °C.
3. Get a microfiber cloth and soak it in the mixture.
4. Then, put the cloth on aluminum foil.
5. Place it into a 300 °F oven until the cloth dries completely.
6. Remove the cloth and rinse it in cold water for 20 to 30 seconds.
7. Next, repeat steps 1-6 three times.
8. Let the cloth air-dry for 48 hours.
9. Afterward, use the cloth to remove scratches.

6. Fix a phone’s screen with glue.

You can fill deep scratches on your phone with epoxy or super glue. However, you should use a small amount. Otherwise, the adhesive may spread to other parts of your device:

1. Stick tape around the scratched area to prevent the glue from spreading into pristine areas.
2. Then, use a paint scraper to polish the glue into cracks gently.
3. Keep spreading the glue across the deep scratch until the glue hardens.

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Next, apply fingernail polish remover on a cotton ball and wipe it on excess glue. Again, ensure the glue only covers the scratch and not other phone parts.

7. Use glass polish for scratched screens.

You can try a glass polish kit for screen repair. It is the same one most people use on car windows and watch cases. It can become effective for removing scratches on your smartphone screen.

Also, you can buy glass polish kits for phones with buffing pads and other tools to facilitate application. However, you should be careful when using this method.

It works like a mild abrasive that could remove your phone’s oleophobic coating. Excessive polishing can thin or remove that protective surface. As a result, future scratches may look more noticeable, and your screen could easily get dirty.

8. Buff small scratches with sandpaper or drill grinders.

This next method is more than a mild abrasive. You can use sandpaper or drill grinders for serious phone scratches. This drastic solution works best for the back of your phone. Buffing your screen with these items could worsen scratches.

Also, you should use the least abrasive kind of sandpaper. Ask your local Lowe’s or another hardware store for fine sandpaper. Scrub your phone in short bursts.

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Ensure you do not damage your phone further. Again, these methods can scratch or break your smartphone to avoid further problems. Use them at your own risk!

9. Use a screen replacement kit.

You can order a screen replacement from Amazon and other online stores if all else fails. They cost $20 to $300, depending on your phone model and the included tools.

Ensure your new kit offers a scratch-resistant screen to prevent scratches in the future. Also, read reviews to see if a kit is easy to use. These kits require a steady and careful hand.

Otherwise, you could damage other phone parts, especially components behind the screen. You can watch YouTube videos to learn how to use replacement kits properly. Also, ensure your kit fits your smartphone model.

10. Prevent future scratches with a plastic screen protector.

The best way to fix your smartphone screen is to secure it. Fortunately, you can purchase a screen protector online or at other local stores. It is a plastic cover that keeps your screen from getting more damaged.

However, you should buy a high-quality screen protector because low-quality ones get scratched easily. Scratched screen protectors typically look worse than dented screens. Also, you must not leave bubbles between the screen protector and the glass surface.

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Eventually, that bubble will spread, making your phone look worse. Moreover, poorly-applied screen protectors can make your screen less responsive to your finger.

Conclusion

You can repair your phone screen with common household items. However, they are not foolproof and may damage your phone if you’re not careful. Use them at your own risk.

If these methods don’t work, you should take your device to your phone model’s official repair shop. On the other hand, you should consider getting a new device if the repair costs are too high.

You can keep your phone scratch-free by getting screen protectors or smartphone cases. Also, you can get more digital tips and trends at Inquirer Tech.

Frequently asked questions about repairing phone screens

Are there risks to do-it-yourself screen scratch repair?

You can buy a replacement kit for your smartphone screen, but it can be risky. Low-quality kits may have shoddy tools that could damage your smartphone further. Also, you need some technical experience to ensure you won’t break other device components. Consequently, some folks bring their phones to repair shops immediately.

Should I repair the scratches myself or get professional help?

You could try DIY repair methods if your smartphone only has minor dents or nicks. However, they could damage your device further and are ineffective against serious scratches. You should consider seeking professional help if you have an expensive phone. Otherwise, you might damage it further, requiring you to spend more money on a replacement.

Are there other ways to eliminate scratches on my smartphone?

There are other ways to repair your smartphone screen besides these recommendations. For example, you can use a pencil eraser instead of a magic eraser for small scratches. Also, you can use other household items like vegetable oil, petroleum jelly, and coconut oil.