Stop squirting hot glue into your iPhone and AirPods! Why it can ruin your devices

Many readers have been pointing me to TikTok videos showing hot glue being used to clean iPhones, AirPods, and other devices. All the videos follow the same pattern -- a filthy device and the ports are packed with detritus and schmoo, hot glue is then squirted into the ports, left to harden, and eventually removed. Here's an example of such a video.

The idea is that glue removes all the dirt and the job is done. 

Also: Want to protect your iPhone's battery health? Stop doing this

Let me lay down a few reasons for why this is wrong.

First, hot glue is, as the name suggests, hot. Regular hot glue is around 350°F, but you can get low-melt stuff that is liquid at around 200 to 250°F and high-temperature stuff that melts at over 400°F. These temperatures are high enough to ...