Scratch Alert: How to Stop Scratches

The most common causes of phone screen scratches and how to prevent them

Your smartphone is a very important part of your life, and it goes with you everywhere. In fact, 53% of people say they have never gone longer than 24 hours without the cell phone! It is exposed to all of the day-to-day hazards we see as we go about our lives, and is thus susceptible to scratching and other wear and tear.

Scratches are more than an eyesore, they drastically reduce the value of your device and can even increase the risk of screen breakage!

Below are some of the common causes of phone screen scratches and how we can prevent total damage to your smartphone:

1. Sand: These little particles can wreak havoc on your screen and device. Sand can be anywhere from 100 microns (μm) to 1,000 μm and is packed with lots of sharp and jagged edges that can scratch, gouge and nick your nice smooth phone screen. These little particles can even work their way behind your phone case and get trapped, even further damaging the surface of the back of your device.

2. Bags & Pockets: For people on-the-go, phones get thrown into bags, backpacks, purses, pouches and clutches for quick and easy transport. The problem is that the phone is often not alone and shares the space with keys, pens, compacts, toys, tools and all sorts of other items; many of which have hard and sharp edges which wreak havoc on your device’s beautiful glass.

3. Drops: When your phone slips out of your hands your heart skips a beat and time seems to move into slow motion while you watch your device smash on the ground. These moments are when your phone is most at risk for scratches and cracks and the glass gets slammed or slid across hard and coarse material like cement, asphalt and tile.

4. Keys: Keys seem to always be near our phones. When you’re arms are full and you cram your keys, phone and drink into one hand or when you seem to run out of pockets for all your stuff. The teeth on keys can be very sharp and very hard which are all really bad news for your phone glass.

Recommendations

Now that we’ve covered the 4 most common causes of scratches this is what we recommend for each:

1. Sand

   1. Keep a cleaning cloth nearby

   2. Regularly take your phone out it the phone case and wipe out sand and dirt

   3. Have a “sterile” place to store your phone on sandy days (beach trips, yardwork, hiking, etc)

2. Bags and Pockets

   1. Use bags with dedicated pockets or dividers for phones

   2. Have a dedicated “phone pocket” in your pants/shorts for your phone. No keys, tools or other items in there

   3. Clean your bags regularly to get all that dirt and debris out that could spread to your device

3. Drops

   1. Use a phone case

   2. Use a screen protector

4. Keys

   1. Keep keys far from phones

   2. Use a lanyard or key manager to free up your hands or pockets

Red Wolf Technology is the world leader and creator of the first desktop scratch removal and glass resurfacing system, Primo Polishing System ™. Primo provides an alternative to screen replacement, allowing repair shops and consumers the ability to restore scratched phone screens.

If you liked this article, you may also want to read:

“2022 Cell Phone Usage Statistics: How Obsessed Are We?”

“5 Common Causes of Scratches on Your Phone Screen” by Via Screens and

“Most Common Causes of Phone Damage” by Metropolitan Insurance Company, Inc.