How to fix a cracked, scratched or broken smartphone screen WITHOUT taking it into a repair shop

A CRACKED phone has happened to us all – these days all it takes is it slipping out your pocket, off the sofa, or out of your hand.

It’s easily done –  due in part to the growing size of their screens – and so is the fix, except, taking it to a repair shop can get costly.

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Luckily, there are a handful of DIY methods you can try to keep the device going until your next pay day – when you should probably take it to see a professional, depending on how much you care about the device.

There are a number of online retailers that sell home repair kits which are much cheaper than a proper repair shop.

Simply search “repair kit” followed by your phone’s model, for example: “repair kit iPhone 14″ or “repair kit Samsung Galaxy S5″.

But if you’re looking for a solution that is a bit more immediate but less effective, keep reading.

Although, make note that while these remedies are vouched for online, they come with risks that could see you damage your device even further.

They are also only suitable for phone screens which are cracked or scratched – not ones which have internal parts exposed after repeated accidents.

The first bizarre remedy is toothpaste.

Putting a tiny bit of toothpaste on a cotton bud or clean cloth and rubbing it on the scratch can give the screen a new lease of life.

But you must make sure it doesn’t find its way into the charging socket, buttons, speakers or other vulnerable parts of your device.

Otherwise, this could give you a host of new troubles.

Another folk remedy recommends making a paste made from two parts baking soda to one part water to hide a screen scratch.

Simply make it into a thick paste and then use a cloth to gently rub it in.

This should cover up the problem for a while.

Similarly, oil can also help hide the problem but won’t fix it entirely, of course.

Just rub a dab of oil onto the scratch and watch it blend away.

You will have to reapply it though, because it is just oil you are wiping on your phone, which will eventually rub off.

If your phone screen shatters, and you’re worried it is going to worsen or bits of glass might fall out, you can stop it getting worse by buying a screen protector.

These are sold in most supermarkets and phone shops, but also by thousands of online retailers like Amazon or Ebay.

If you don’t want to spend the money on that either, then internet-lore says you can wrap it up with clear tape instead.

But be warned: if parts of your phone screen were at risk of falling out before, they certainly will once you try and remove the tape.

This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk