Unless you’re keen on “permanently” fixing it, that is. There’s more than a few places that’ll tell you to use WD-40 on a stuck iPhone home button, but this is a very poor idea indeed. Here’s why.
It seems to make sense — WD-40 is great for unsticking all sorts of things, and the one constantly used part of an iPhone is the home button. It even ran on Lifehacker not that long ago, but as iMore points out, it’s a phenomenally bad idea. Not just because it’d invalidate your warranty, or indeed as one Lifehacker reader pointed out, because it’d leave you with fingers that reeked of WD-40. It’s more simple than that. WD-40 is a liquid that you’d be spraying around the home button and near the docking connector.
Liquids and your iPhone shouldn’t mix. although as Cameron points out below, WD40 is at least non-conductive.
Of more long term concern, the reason why WD-40 works is because it’s a solvent. Solvents, as the name suggests, dissolve solutes, and one of the solutes that WD-40 will work on is plastic. There’s a lot of plastic in the iPhone, including the home button itself.
So in other words, don’t use WD-40 to fix a stuck home button. Possibly some isopropyl alcohol cleaner if you must, but I’d suggest lining up for a Genius bar appointment first instead. [iMore]
maddogeco
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:12 PMalso as a liquid dust will stick to it making it worse in the long run
Uncle Bob
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:19 PMI hate it when I hear people are going to use WD-40, 99% of the time it is ill used as a lubricant. People just don’t realise it is a solvent and will ultimately achieve the opposite and remove any lubricant the currently exists.
Timmahh
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:20 PMTry liquid silicone.
Sam
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:36 PMSilicon is better than WD40, but still not a great idea, and plastics really shouldn’t need lubricating. A small application of isopropyl alcohol is your best bet – it will dissolve whatever stickiness resides in the casing and evaporate.
Greg
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:26 PMWrong. WD40 is made from Fish Oil.
Sam
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:33 PMWrong. WD40 is made of oil. It’s petroleum based.
http://www.wd40.com/faqs/
“…a petroleum-based product like WD-40…”
Greg
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 2:26 PMWell, the prize goes to you for that one, I wondered if anyone would refute it :D
Chris
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:29 PMThe Ombudsmen now requires all telco providers to provide a warranty against malfunction for the length of the handset’s contract (iPhones and otherwise). If you’ve got a stuck home button (or any other fault for that matter), take it back to Apple if it’s within the 1 year warranty – otherwise, take it back to your telco provider for a free repair, provided of course, the fault isn’t a result of water damage, obvious abuse or modification (including JBing – Apple will tell you it voids warranty).
awallafashagba
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:40 PMbugger ! top info there Chris – thanks
awallafashagba
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 1:30 PMor just pay $179 and get a brand new ‘recon’ …. worked for me (out of warranty)
Cameron
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 2:41 PMWD40 is non conductive, so you CAN spray it on electronics without worrying about them shoring out. In fact it has been known to be used to protect electronic components from water.
That doesn’t make this particular idea any good still, just pointing out an inaccuracy.
Alex Kidman
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 3:24 PMFair point — I’ve amended the copy to reflect that. Thanks!
Inform
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 4:38 PMDoi!
Can i say “I told you so!”