How to remove scratches from the glass of Xiaomi phone

Damage to the smartphone screen is a stress that almost every owner of modern technology faces. Especially frustrating when the protective glass goes out after falling or contacting keys, spoiling the aesthetic appearance and tactile sensation of using the device. Owners of the Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO brands often wonder whether it is possible to restore the surface on their own without carrying the gadget to the service center.

There are many folk methods and professional techniques that promise to work wonders, but not all of them are safe for oleophobic coating. It is important to understand that deep chips are almost impossible to eliminate without replacing the display, but small scuffs are quite correctable. Next, we will look at proven algorithms of actions that will help restore your Xiaomi pristine shine.

Before you start to act, you need to assess the scale of the disaster, and if a crack goes through the entire layer of glass and hits the matrix, any manipulation of polishing can only aggravate the situation, damaging the touch layer, in which case you should immediately think about buying a new module, because the risk of finally finishing the phone is too great.

Assessment of the depth of damage and risks

The first step in the repair process is to make a detailed diagnosis of the surface, and if you nail the scratch across, if you get stuck or you feel a clear step, you have a deep damage, and these are called through defects, and trying to polish them will lead to an uneven thinning of the glass, which can cause glare or even tearing of the matrix under pressure.

Surface scratches that are only visible from a certain angle of light and not felt with a finger are micro-damages, and they make sense to deal with at home, but remember that when polished, the thinnest layer of material is removed, and the oleophobic layer that is responsible for slipping the finger and protecting against fat will be destroyed at the processing site.

⚠️ Warning: If you see rainbow spots on the screen or stripes when the display is on, this indicates damage to the matrix. In this case, polishing the glass is meaningless and can lead to the final failure of the smartphone.

For owners of flagship models of the Xiaomi Mi or Xiaomi 13/14 series, the risk is higher due to the use of curved screens. Uneven pressure when polished on the curves can disrupt the adhesion of the display layers. Therefore, for such devices, it is recommended to use only masking tools, not abrasive methods.

Preparation of the workplace and tools

The quality of the result depends on how well you prepare for the procedure. You need a clean, well-lit space where you don't get dust on a wet surface. Any grain of sand that gets under the polishing fabric can cause a new, even deeper scratch on Gorilla Glass.

Gather the necessary arsenal of materials in advance so that you don't interrupt in the process. The basis of success is the purity and absence of fatty traces that can prevent the abrasive from working evenly. For Redmi Note smartphones and other flat-screen models, preparation is standard, but requires accuracy.

Special attention should be paid to protecting the functional elements. Speaker, speaker and volume buttons should be isolated. The polishing paste or liquid can leak into the case through technological gaps, which will cause corrosion of contacts or sticking buttons. Use paint tape or parafilm to seal the holes.

The main tool is best suited to high quality microfiber fabric or special polishing discs for manual use. Electric scallops are not recommended, as they create high temperatures and can overheat. OLED-matrix, causing pixel burnout or the appearance of yellow spots.

Method of polishing toothpaste for minor defects

One of the most affordable and popular ways to remove small scuffs is to use a regular white toothpaste, which works by containing soft abrasive particles in the paste, such as silica, that can smooth out the microrelief of the surface. It is important to choose a paste without colored granules and whitening components, so as not to paint the phone frame.

The process is this: apply a pea of pasta to the microfiber and treat the damaged area in circular motions. The movements should be light but confident. The procedure can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, after which you need to thoroughly wash the residues with warm water.

• 🦷 Use only classic white paste, gel variants do not contain the necessary abrasives.
• 🔄 Movements should be circular and uniform, without strong pressure on the center of the screen.
• 💧 Wash the paste gently, making sure water doesn't get into the charging connector or speaker.

The effectiveness of this method for Xiaomi phones with tempered glass is limited. You can mask the “web” of small scratches, making them less noticeable by filling the micropores with paste residues. However, completely remove the deep furrow this way will not work, since the hardness of the screen glass is much higher than the hardness of the abrasive in the paste.

Professional Polyroly and Cerium Oxide

To take it more seriously, repair enthusiasts use cerium oxide, a yellow powder that, when mixed with water, forms an effective polishing paste, which is widely used in the glass industry to eliminate defects that toothpaste cannot cope with.

The cerium oxide requires care and proportions, and it is mixed with water until it is sour cream, applied to a felt circle or thick fabric, and it takes longer to polish, but the result is worth it: the surface becomes smooth and the light transmission is restored.

After using cerium oxide, the Redmi or POCO screen will always have a rough feeling, which means that the oleophobic coating has been completely removed in the aggressive polishing process, and to regain comfort of use, you will need to apply a new coating or put on a quality protective glass with adhesive layer.

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After polishing with cerium oxide, be sure to wipe the screen with an alcohol solution to remove all the powder microparticles, otherwise they may scratch the glass during further use.

Masking scratches with oil and special means

If you think polishing is too risky or too time-consuming, you can use a masking technique, which is to fill the scratch cavity with a transparent substance that has a light refractive index close to the glass, which makes the defect visually invisible.

The simplest option is to use vegetable oil, a drop of oil is scratched and rubbed, removing the surplus with a napkin, the effect is temporary: the oil will eventually dry or dry, and the procedure will have to be repeated, but for quick "resuscitation" before selling or photos, this is a great option.

• 🌿 Vegetable oil is available in every kitchen, but is quickly washed with your fingers.
• 💄 Transparent nail polish or polish removal fluid can fill the crack, but require jewelry accuracy.
• 🧴 Special products such as Displex or Polyrol create a more durable layer and contain components for filling micropores.

There are also special gel fillers that polymerize under the influence of ultraviolet light, so if you put a gel on a Xiaomi screen and dry it with a UV lamp, you can get a great result, the surface will become smooth, and the scratch will disappear from view, as light will no longer be refracted at its edges.

⚠️ Warning: Never use superglue (cyanacrylate) to fill scratches! it crystallizes, turbidities over time and can react chemically with an oleophobic coating, leaving indelible white marks.

Recovery of oleophobic coating after repair

Any mechanical or chemical treatment of glass inevitably leads to thinning or complete removal of the oleophobic layer, a layer critical to comfort: it provides a smooth slip of the finger and prevents the appearance of greasy marks. Without it, the Xiaomi screen will quickly get dirty and braked in games.

You can't re-coat the factory at home because it's vacuum-sprayed, but there are liquid nanocoatings that you can apply yourself, and they're sold as sprays or napkins, and they create a thin hydrophobic film.

The application process is simple: the screen is carefully degreased with alcohol, then evenly distributed the product and left to dry for the time specified in the instructions. It usually takes 1-2 hours for complete polymerization, which will extend the life of your phone and return the feeling of "new" glass.

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After deep polishing the screen, restoring the oleophobic coating is a must, otherwise you will get a clean but sticky and quickly staining glass.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)