If you use Apple products, you can confirm that your once-white chargers eventually turn yellow and sticky after some time. This can be frustrating, as with this yellowing comes fragility, and your cable can break much faster than it would when it was new. You may feel like the manufacturer intends to have you replace your charger soon.
So, why do MacBook chargers turn yellow and what does it mean? MacBook chargers will turn yellow courtesy of heat issues or aging. The heat could be internal, from the currents passing from your socket to your MacBook, or external. External heat could be high room temperature or UV light, explaining why you should have your charger in a room with good airflow.
Since your charger’s body is plastic, exposure to high temperatures will speed up oxidation, turning the charger yellow. This is normal if you handle heavy computing with your MacBook. However, if the process happens soon after replacing your old charger, you might want to check for overheating.
After some months of use, you may notice some yellowing on your charger cables. This yellowing makes your charger unattractive and raises the alarm about its actual condition and safety.
MacBook chargers will turn yellow due to heat or aging. In the case of aging, leaching will occur internally. If your power charger gets hot during charging and you wind the cable partially or wholly around it, it will also become hot, and the color will change over time.
High room temperatures and UV lights are also culprits in accelerating this process. Other users attribute yellowing to constant handling and oils from your fingers, in which case, you can clean and remove the yellowing.
While yellowing in itself is not too much of a problem, it could signify a weakening of your outer insulation. As you continue using your charger, the current that flows through it will gradually weaken the outer insulation.
This effect will be visible as yellowing and will happen after a few months to a year or more, depending on how much you use your device. Your charger will be more prone to damage, including tearing or deformation and overall failure when this happens. Thus, if your charger is old enough and turns yellow, you should consider a replacement.
When using your MacBook charger, it is normal that there is heat emission in the process. A charger’s transformer will convert its AC voltage from the wall outlet into the DC voltage necessary to charge the battery.
During this process, some of the electricity is released as heat, and while this is normal, excessive heating and yellowing is a sign that the charger circuits are failing, putting yourself and your phone at risk.
Yellowing could also result from a short circuit, and you should check your charger cable for such. A cable has several layers, including copper covered with color-coded insulation, all under white protective insulation.
Bending your cable too much can break the inner wire’s insulation, causing the copper conduits to touch each other, hence a short circuit. A short circuit increases power consumption, heating your charging cable. This heat then causes your charger cable’s white insulation to turn yellow.
To check if this is the case, plug in your charger, and after a few minutes, check if the yellow part is hot. If it’s hot, it is time to replace your cable. Your charger could also turn yellow from the connector heat during charging. You will tell this if you can smell melting or the insulation breaks.
This can be dangerous, necessitating a replacement. Poor wiring in your home could also cause problems, unsolvable with a charger replacement. In such a case, consider inspecting your home wiring if yellowing happens too soon after buying a new charger. You can also rule this out by plugging your charger into a different outlet.
Given the high pricing of charger Apples, of course, courtesy of their quality, you will not want to replace them barely after a year of use due to yellowing. Luckily, there are certain remedies you can use to prevent or reduce yellowing.
The important step in all these is understanding the cause of overheating and resolving it. If any of your charger parts wear out that it can no longer transmit power, a replacement is the only solution. However, if your charger is overheating due to heat exposure, consider a way to release the excess heat.
For instance, you should avoid wrapping your charger cable around the charger and let it loose to allow airflow around it. Cleaning your cables is another cost-free remedy to preventing yellowing. Ideally, you should not clean a new cable as they are good on their own.
How Do You Clean a Yellow MacBook Charger?
Apple accessories are as good as new even after months of unboxing and use. However, over time, they will accumulate dirt, necessitating cleaning. Read on to know how you can clean your Apple charger effectively to avoid voiding your warranty.
If you want to clean your yellowing MacBook charger, you can use alcohol and cotton swabs to wipe the cable. Swabs are effective in removing dirt and grime. Some users prefer alcohol, but others do not, as it will leave a residue that requires rinsing off. Baking soda is another option useful as an abrasive in removing dirt and grease. Either way, you should not soak your charger or cable in the solutions or wet the ends of the cable.
Before cleaning your charger, unplug it from the power source. You will need a microfiber cloth and liquid cleaner to do this. Start by adding one to two drops of your liquid cleaner in warm water and dampen your microfiber cloth in this liquid.
Using your damp cloth, clean along the cable from one end to the other, ensuring water does not penetrate your charger. Afterward, dry your charger and check its functionality. After cleaning, your charger will no longer be sticky, and the yellowing should fade.
Does the Apple Store Clean Charging Ports?
After years of using your Apple charger, it will accumulate dust, lint, and other fragments from your purse or pocket, requiring cleaning. If this dirt accumulates on the charging ports, it will cause problems in charging your device, and you may need to clean these ports. Therefore, you may wonder whether the Apple Store can help you with this cleaning.
If you book your Apple device for charging issues, the store will likely clean the charging ports for you. Apple stores will do this for free and taking your charging ports for cleaning to these professionals is the safest option given their sensitivity.
The professionals at the store have the appropriate tools and knowledge in cleaning, preserving your device’s charging capabilities while ensuring it remains as good as new. Also, they can diagnose other charging-related problems, in which case, they will focus more on repair as cleaning may not be useful in this case.
If you live in an area without a nearby Apple Store, you can take your device for cleaning to a repair shop or business specializing in mobile devices and accessories, and they will help you. However, there is no guarantee that these attendants will serve you for free, but you would rather pay a few dollars and have a professional do the job for you.
At times, taking your device to an Apple Store may be inconveniencing, leaving you with no option but to clean the ports yourself. In this case, you can use a damp, lint-free cloth or cotton balls.
Apple advises against cleaning products and compressed air, but some users still use them effectively, given the limited cleaning options. You should also avoid chemicals and sharp objects on your charging port, as these could damage the internal machinery, comprising tiny metal lines. Damaging these contact lines will affect the charger no matter how clean it is.
Accumulated dirt will block your charging ports, affecting your charger’s capability. Hence cleaning should be part of your regular device maintenance. While doing this, you should be cautious since a cleaning blunder may mess with the ports and render your charger useless. You will know it is time to clean your charging port if your charging cable frequently pops from the port, charges slowly, does not charge at all, or you have to put it at a right angle during charging.
While Apple does not recommend the use of compressed air on its devices, individuals still use it, which is why I will guide you on the safest way to use it. As stated earlier, your charging ports feature delicate tiny strips of metal that can damage easily if you do not handle them carefully.
Damaging these contact points will affect your charger’s capability forcing you to replace it. Hence, try as much as you can to clean your charging ports without touching the sensitive contact points, and the use of compressed air proves effective in this case.
When using compressed air, hold your air source upright and direct it to the ports. However, ensure they are not too close and do not stick your nozzle inside the compressed air. Start spraying the air in short but light bursts.
You can do several air shots and wait for some seconds before attaching your charging cable and checking for improvements in charging. If cleaning is successful, your phone will charge normally. While compressed air will work, avoid blowing wet air from your mouth to your charging ports, which may worsen the clogging.
Compressed air may not always be effective, especially with grime build-up. Lodged particles on the charging port are also not removable with compressed air, and a toothpick will come in handy.
Again, you should be careful with this process as you risk damaging your charger if you do it the wrong way. Using a toothpick is safer than wire or plastic, given the flexibility and softness of the wood. Start by cushioning the tip of your toothpick with some cotton and turning off your device.
For effective cleaning, ensure your room is well lit. You can also supplement the lighting with a flashlight. Gently insert your toothpick tip into the charging port and wiggle it around. The wiggling should be gentle but if no particles are coming out freely, exert light pressure lest you permanently damage your ports.
While working through your charging ports, avoid touching its sides as this may damage the anchors. If you start removing some grime and debris, you can switch to compressed air, remove the dirt, and test your cable’s functionality.
In addition to dirt, water in your charging ports will affect charging. If your charging ports have water, you will receive an alert stating “liquid detected” when you plug in your device for charging. To remove liquids from your charging port, unplug all the accessories and cables and tap your device gently on your hands.
Afterward, leave your device in a clean, dry area with good airflow and allow it to dry. You should avoid using compressed air, an external heat source, or a bag of rice to dry your charging ports lest you permanently damage your device.
With the above cleaning options, you should endeavor to maintain your charging ports clean. Periodic cleaning will prevent the accumulation of dirt, reducing the rate of wear and tear. This way, you will not rely on a charging failure as an alarm for cleaning.
Wrap Up
There is no doubt that Apple chargers feature great functionality, hence their high price. Unfortunately, after several months to a year of use, you may notice yellowing on your charger. Yellowing may result from overheating or exposure to heat.
The heating could increase if you handle heavy computing work with your device but may worsen due to aging, faulty wiring, or internal cable damage. Diagnosing the real cause of wiring is necessary to know how to clean up your charger.
If your charging ports are dirty and you cannot charge your device successfully, you should visit an Apple Store for cleaning services. This will save you the worry of damaging your ports during cleaning.
The professionals have the right tools and skills for the job and will clean your ports for free. If going to a store seems challenging, consider other cleaning methods like compressed air, cotton swabs, and toothpicks, but be careful not to damage the ports.
