How to Clean the EV Charger: A Complete Guide

With the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), home charging piles have become an indispensable device for many owners. Like the car itself, the charging pile also needs proper maintenance, and regular cleaning is a key part of ensuring its safe operation, extending its service life and maintaining a good appearance. This article will provide you with a detailed guide to cleaning electric vehicle chargers, covering the importance of cleaning, cleaning objects, timing, needed tools, specific steps, and important safety precautions.

The Benefits of Clean Electric Vehicle Chargers

Safeguard charging safety: Avoid short-circuit, overheating and other safety hazards caused by pollutants.
Optimized charging performance: Ensure that the connector contacts are good and reduce the loss during charging.
Extending the life of the equipment: Prevent corrosion and physical damage, and delay the aging of components.
Maintenance of equipment value: Clean and clean equipment is more acceptable and maintained.

The part that electric car chargers need to be cleaned

Before starting to clean, we need to understand the main components of electric vehicle chargers (usually household charging piles or wall-mounted charging cases):

Charger Unit/Box: This is the main device mounted on a wall or column, with an internal circuit and control unit. Its housing is usually made of plastic or metal and may come with a display, indicator light and buttons.
Charging Cable: Long harnesses that connect charging piles to electric vehicles, wrapped in insulating materials such as rubber or plastic.
Charging Connector/Plug: The part of the car's charging port is inserted at the end of the cable. This is the most sensitive part and contains metal pins (pins) for power transmission and communication.

When cleaning, different methods need to be taken for the material and sensitivity of different components.

When to clean your electric car charger?

Determining the cleaning time helps keep the charger in its best condition:

Regular maintenance: As part of routine or quarterly maintenance of your car and peripherals, routine cleaning is recommended every few months.
Visual inspection: When you find that the main body, cable or connector of the charging pile has obvious dust, dirt, dirt, spider web or other contaminants, it should be cleaned in time.
After special circumstances: After experiencing dust storms, heavy rain (especially rain with silt), pest infestation (such as nesting by bees), or near the construction work to produce a lot of dust, should be cleaned.
Appearance: If the surface of the charger is oily, chemical sputtering, etc., it needs to be cleaned immediately.

Basic Safety Considerations Before Cleaning

Safety is the first principle of clean electric vehicle chargers. Follow the following safety steps:

Disconnect the power! Disconnect the power! Disconnect the power! Say the important thing three times. Before any cleaning work is done, it is necessary to ensure that the charging pile is completely power off. This usually means finding a breaker that powers the charging pile and turning it off in the distribution box. If you are not sure which is the correct circuit breaker or is unable to safely power off, contact a professional electrician for guidance or operation. Do not clean in the charging pile.
Read the user's manual: Always consult the user's manual for your specific charging point model. Manufacturers usually provide detailed cleaning instructions and a list of banned substances. Please follow the manufacturer’s advice.
Check the weather: If it is an outdoor charging pile, avoid cleaning in rainy and snowy weather or extreme humidity.
Wear protective gear: It is recommended to wear clean rubber gloves to protect the skin and provide additional insulation (good habits are still important despite being powered off).
Avoid direct water spraying: Even outdoor waterproof-designed charging piles should avoid using a high-pressure water gun or directly rinsing with water, especially the electrical connection part and the heat sink. Water penetration can cause internal short circuits or corrosion.

Clean materials for cleaning electric vehicle chargers

Prepare the right cleaning tools and materials to make cleaning work more efficient and safer:

Soft and clean cloth: microfiber cloth or cotton cloth is ideal, they are good water absorption and do not easily scratch the surface. Prepare a few pieces, one for dipped in detergent, one for dipped in clean water, and one for drying.
Moderate cleaners: Use neutral, non-arrasive, mild soapy water (such as detergent) or a neutral cleaner for cars. A small amount of detergent can be dissolved in clean water.
Water: Used to dilute the cleaner and wipe off the cleaning agent residue.
Dry cloth: Used to thoroughly dry the cleaned surface to prevent moisture residue.
Soft brush: Can be used to remove hard-to-reach gaps or dust and debris on connector pins. Choose a very soft brush or small brush.
Compressed air (optional): Low-pressure compressed air can be used to blow away dust from connector pins or heat dissipation holes, but caution should be used to avoid high pressure damage to parts.

Note: Do not use irritant chemicals, solvents (such as alcohol, gasoline, acetone), abrasive cleaners or tools (such as steel wire balls, sandpaper), and high-pressure water guns. These substances and tools may damage the charging pile's housing, cable insulation or connector contacts.

Step-by-step cleaning guide for electric vehicle chargers

After ensuring that the power is disconnected and all materials ready, follow these steps to clean your charger:

Cleaning charging pile main body (charging box)

Use a clean dry cloth to gently wipe the dust and spider webs on the surface of the charging pile.
Wet a soft cloth with diluted mild soapy water or detergent, then wring dry to keep it in a slightly wet rather than dripping state.
Carefully wipe the charging pile’s case with a wet cloth, including the display (if waterproof) and around the button. Avoid water flowing into any openings or gaps.
If you need to remove stubborn stains, you can slightly increase the intensity of wiping, but avoid scraping hard.
Wipe the surface with a cloth dipped in water (also to slightly wet) to remove the residue of the cleaner.
Immediately dry the entire shell thoroughly with a dry soft cloth. Make sure there is no water left in the surface or gap.

Cleaning charging cables

Remove the charging cable from the charging pile (if detachable) or fully unfold it. Check the cable for cuts, cracks, or any visible damage. If damage is found, do not use and contact a professional.
Use a soft cloth with a slightly wet (dipped in mild soapy water or a cleanser and wrung dry) from one end near the charging pile, wiping down the cable to remove dust and dirt.
For dirtier parts, it may be necessary to wipe several times.
Wipe the cable with a slightly wet water cloth to remove the cleaning agent residue.
Immediately dry every part of the cable with a dry soft cloth to ensure that there is no moisture left. Dry cables are not only safer, but also less likely to be stained with dust again.
W Boundary the cable properly or hang to avoid kinks or compression.

Cleaning charging connector (plug)

This is the most important part to be treated with care, as it contains exposed metal pins.

Make sure that the connector's protective cover is open and that the pin can be seen.
External cleaning: gently wipe the external case of the connector with a soft cloth that is slightly wet (only slightly wet, must not drip). Avoid openings and pin areas inside the plug.
Internal cleaning (pin area): It is absolutely forbidden to direct direct contact with the pin with water or wet cloth.

For dust or dry debris on the pins, a very soft dry brush (such as a paintbrush) can be gently brushed.
Alternatively, low-pressure compressed air (keep a certain distance, short spray) can be used to blow off dust and debris between the pins.
Do not use any liquid cleaner, solvent or metal tools to clean the pin.
Do not attempt to wipe the pin itself to avoid bending or damage.

Attention:

When the cleaning is complete, check whether the pins are clean and have no residue.
The most important step: Be sure to cover the charging connector protection. The protective cover can effectively prevent dust, moisture and insects from entering, and is the key to keeping the connector clean and functional. After each charge, remember to cover the cover.

Behaviors to be avoided when cleaning

For your safety and the health of your charger, re-emphasize what you absolutely can’t do when cleaning:

Clean when the charging pile is charged.
Use a high-pressure water gun or flush the charging pile or connector directly with water.
Use irritating, corrosive, abrasive cleaners or solvents.
Use hard, sharp or abrasive tools.
Immerse any part of the charging pile in water.
Restore power or use without complete drying.
Try removing the charging pile for internal cleaning (unless you are an authorized professional).
Ignore the cleaning instructions in the user manual.

Considerations in exceptional circumstances

Outdoor charging piles: Outdoor charging piles require more frequent inspection and cleaning, especially after bad weather. Although they are designed to protect against rain and snow, dust and dirt still accumulate. After cleaning, ensure that all covers and seals are properly closed.
Severe dirt or damage: If there is severe dirt, paint or other chemicals that are difficult to remove on the charging pile or cable, or if any physical damage (such as rupture of the shell, cable cutting, connector pin bending or discoloration), please do not treat it yourself. Contact the manufacturer of the charging pile or a professional installer/maintenance personnel for inspection and handling. Self-inflicted improper handling may result in security risks or warranty failures.

Conclusion

Careful care of your charging device in a gentle way with the safety steps and cleaning guidelines provided in this article, so that your electric vehicle charging experience is always safe and efficient. If you have any questions about the cleaning process or encounter abnormalities, please feel free to contact us.