Acetone or Isopropyl alcohol?

[xitshsif]

A friend kinda dropped his cell phone into the fryer at work. It was off, so there's no heat damage, the phone's just full of oil. It all still works (thank god for oil being non-conductive), but it's behind the lcd and interfering with the speaker+microphone. After disassembling it and seeing how the oil really is everywhere, cleaning it will be fun.

What would you think is best for washing oil off after the majority is wiped off? I was thinking acetone, but I'm afraid it would eat some of the rubber. Would isopropyl alcohol be any better?

 

[stevf]

denatured ethanol might be better than isopropyl if you get rubbing alcohol as it might have additives. I would try alcohol before the acetone. If you do use either alcohol, especially the ethanol, let it dry a few days as alcohol can "grab" water.

Acetone will most likely degrade any rubber, will remove paint on numbers and will craze many clear plastics.

You can try the cleaning, but I would be ready to replace regardless.

 

[xitshsif]

Originally posted by: stevf
You can try the cleaning, but I would be ready to replace regardless.

He's actually already managed to get a replacement free, not really sure how he pulled that one off.
But he's given the old one to me so it's more of an experimental project than a rescue operation.

denatured ethanol might be better than isopropyl if you get rubbing alcohol as it might have additives

I've heard of people using isopropyl as pure as 99% for cleaning electronics. But again, most electronics don't have rubber fittings and plastic screens on them.

 

[stevf]

I've heard of people using isopropyl as pure as 99% for cleaning electronics. But again, most electronics don't have rubber fittings and plastic screens on them.[/quote]

If you get 99% isopropyl, then that is good and worth a try, just dont go to the drug store and pick up a bottle labeled rubbing alcohol

 

[corkyg]

If I were still working, I would take the phone to the plant and just run it through the vapor degreaser. Not having that, I would use alchohol as pure as I could get it.

 

[Subbaculcha]

Go to home depot and get a can of Electric Parts Cleaner (spray), disassemble phone as far as possible, and spray it out til the can is empty.

 

[Paperdoc]

Definitely NOT ACETONE!! It most certainly will disolve several components. The iso-Propanol, especially if pure, MIGHT help. The problem is that it is a pretty polar solvent, and the cooking oil is very non-polar, so the solubility of the oil in iso-Propanol is poor. The ideal solvent for oils is something quite non-polar like benzene or the polychlorinated alkanes in commercial degreasers. But those all are hazardous to people and, probably, to some of the plastics in the phone (and maybe the inks in the labels).

Since you have little to lose, a mostly-disassembled phone and lots of time, consider this very LOW-tech route. Detergent and water. Now, everybody knows you can't put water into electronic gizmos. But the real point is you can't LEAVE water in them. If water gets in, it absolutely MUST be removed completely by drying. However, water is unlikely to damage the components while they are wet but NOT powered up.

Now, water is a lousy solvent for oil. That's where the detergent comes in. A modest amount of detergent in water can allow the oils to be cleaned off. For this as simple a detergent as possible is needed - not your fancy kitchen lanolin-and-perfume-added stuff to make your hands happy and soft! Best, if you can get it, is a laboratory detegent for washing lab glassware - it is free of odd additives. If you go this route, you probably should plan on swishing the phone through the detergent-ized water several times to remove all the oil. It is best to use several separate batches of water / detergent so that, as each gets saturated with oil it removed, you go on to another with no oil in it.

When you think it is clean, then you have to remove the detergent residues. This means several rinses with pure clean water. If at all possible the last couple rinses should be with distilled (best choice) or deionized water. Then shake (carefully) out all the water you can, spread out the parts, and leave them a LONG time to dry. Do NOT bake them! MAYBE you could afford to blow some warm air over them with a hair dryer, but really do not get it too hot.

A buddy and I once did this sort of thing with a pocket calculator that had fallen into a vat of a water-disolved sticky polymer. We took it apart, cleaned it out with just water (we were not dealing with oils) and let it dry. Worked like a charm!

This takes patience and time. But it may be less hazardous to the phone and you in the long run.

 

[xitshsif]

Originally posted by: Paperdoc
Best, if you can get it, is a laboratory detegent for washing lab glassware - it is free of odd additives.

This really sounds like a good solution. But where exactly would one find a laboratory detegent?

 

[bruceb]

If you can find it try "1,1,1, Trichloroethane" ... an excellent degreaser
that was used extensively to clean telephone switches and relays

http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/eh/ChemFS/fs/111tce.htm

 

[MadScientist]

I agree with Paperdoc. DO NOT USE ACETONE. First use a degreaser that contains 2-Butoxyethanol, aka, Butyl Cellosolve, e.g., Simple Green. Do not use any degreasers that contain sodium hydroxide (caustic). Rinse the degreaser from the phone with clean tap water. Then soak the phone in 99% 2-propanol, aka, isopropanol, rubbing alcohol in a small bowl. Do this several times, change the isopropanol between soakings. 99% isopropanol can be purchased in most drug store chains or Walmart. Let the phone air dry or dry with a hair dryer on its air(no heat) setting.
Household Products Database

 

[John]

Originally posted by: bruceb
If you can find it try "1,1,1, Trichloroethane" ... an excellent degreaser
that was used extensively to clean telephone switches and relays

http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/eh/ChemFS/fs/111tce.htm

I used that stuff daily when I serviced copiers and typewriters 10+ years ago. Do not get it on plastics and be careful.

 

[Zepper]

I'd use 20% Simple Green in warm distilled water (always want to use contaminant-free stuff when cleaning electronics) (one part simple green to 4 parts distilled water). Then rinse with more warm distilled water followed by some 90+% isopropyl alcohol (safest to most plastics and rubbers) to chase the water out. Then dry well before testing - could use a blow dryer on low heat as it'll help chase any remaining liquid out. We get distilled water here at WalMart for 68 cents a gallon.
. Put the phone right down in about a pint or so of the 20% solution and every now and then agitate it with a pair of tongs to move the grease out.

.bh.

 

[samuelferreira]

***Looking for TCE replacement, or Methylene chloride replacement or TCA replacement or 1.1.1:

Check out GenTech, it works really well as a direct replacement and it is non-flammable.
People use it in vapor degreasing and ultrasonic units.
http://www.relspec.com/solutions/trichloroethylene-replacement.htm

***looking for nPB replacement:

Check out AeroTron, it works as well, has a better H&S profile and it is non-flammable.
AeroTron can be used in vapor degreasing, ultrasonics cleaning and as a wipe also.
http://www.relspec.com/products/aerotron/aerotron-overview.htm

 

[PliotronX]

I'd use 20% Simple Green in warm distilled water (always want to use contaminant-free stuff when cleaning electronics) (one part simple green to 4 parts distilled water). Then rinse with more warm distilled water followed by some 90+% isopropyl alcohol (safest to most plastics and rubbers) to chase the water out. Then dry well before testing - could use a blow dryer on low heat as it'll help chase any remaining liquid out. We get distilled water here at WalMart for 68 cents a gallon.
. Put the phone right down in about a pint or so of the 20% solution and every now and then agitate it with a pair of tongs to move the grease out.

.bh.

+1 distilled water is supposed to be non-conductive so this would be the most gentle way to clean stuff effectively.

 

[Rvenger]

Simple green is good. I have repaired a liquid damaged Mid 2012 MBP with success with simple green, a soft toothbrush and distilled water. Ultrasonic cleaners are the best way but they cost about $600.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I would try alcohol, isopropyl or even ethanol with some water mixed in. Acetone, pure at least, is a very strong solvent and might dissolve or soften plastic/rubber parts.

 

[Jalapeno]

Since you have little to lose, a mostly-disassembled phone and lots of time, consider this very LOW-tech route. Detergent and water. Now, everybody knows you can't put water into electronic gizmos. But the real point is you can't LEAVE water in them. If water gets in, it absolutely MUST be removed completely by drying. However, water is unlikely to damage the components while they are wet but NOT powered up.

........

This takes patience and time. But it may be less hazardous to the phone and you in the long run.

Best advice!

Back in the day we ran massive PCBs (with vacuum tubes!) out of radar systems through commercial dishwashers and then dried them in ovens. Worked like a charm, never had a fail.

Go for Paperdoc's method!

 

[OlyAR15]

Wow, quite the necro. Pretty sure the OP either already fixed it or got rid of it.

 

[mfenn]

Necro thread locked.

mfenn
General Hardware Moderator