How to make the suction cup stick to the dashboard

Most of us find it frustrating that our phone holder will not stick to our dashboard no matter the effort we put in.

Most dashboard phone holders use a suction mechanism to dock onto the dashboard.

So, how do I get my phone holder to stick to my dashboard?

Here are 6 things you should do to make your phone holder stick.

1. Find a flat surface on your dashboard why you will install the mount.
2. Clean it with soapy water then do a final cleaning with alcohol
3. Remove the back sticker on your phone holder base
4. Press it on the identified and cleaned surface.
5. Give it ample time for it to stick before attaching your phone.
6. Gently mount your phone and start driving

How does the suction mechanism work and how is it used to stick objects to the dashboard?

First, it is paramount to understand how suction mechanisms work for us to properly do the task of attaching our phone mounts onto the dashboard surface.

According to Sciencing, a rubber cup is used in order for the suction mechanism to be effective. The surface onto which the cup is to be attached must be completely flat and impermeable. No air should sip into the cup.

How the suction effect is realized is by pushing down the rubber cup. Once force is applied onto the concave cup, the air is pushed out of the cup leaving a vacuum behind. As we know, atmospheric pressure tries to equalize itself, the air outside the cup will press against the cup, and since it can’t get it, it ends up forcing the cup against the surface. This makes the suction cup stick to the surface.

Many manufacturers take advantage of this suction effect to create items intended to stick onto the surfaces such as our dashboard phone holders.

How to make the suction cup stick to the dashboard.

1. Find a flat, non-porous surface on your dashboard why you will install the mount .

First, we must mention here that suction cup phone holders will not attach to rough textured dashboards or porous surfaces. If your car’s dashboard is of this kind, you should go for other alternatives such as cup holder phone holders or ventilation cup phone holders.

Curved surfaces or rough ones create chances for air to sip back to the suction cup as we have already seen above, suction is only possible when air does not sip back, otherwise, if it does, atmospheric pressure will not do its job.

This is where most people fail and start complaining that the suction cup won’t stick.

However, if you can’t find a flat smooth surface, you could opt to use auto adhesive to complement the suction mechanism.

Though, we would not highly recommend adhesives as they leave permanent marks on your dashboard should you decide one day to do away with the phone holder.

Also, do not choose a position too close to the steering wheel, this may destruct you when driving. A sweet spot between the driver and passenger seat will do the trick.

If you do not have a flat section on your dash, you can try car phone mounts with popsockets instead.

• Clean it with soapy water then do a final cleaning with alcohol

Dust particles are known to create gaps between the surface and the flappy part of the suction cup. These gaps slowly let the air back into the dash phone holder suction cup rendering the suction effect useless.

That is why some customers say that the phone holder came off after a day. Installation of a Suction cup phone holder is a delicate affair and therefore, you should take keen on observing every step of the installation process.

To remove chances of particles finding their way between the surface and the cup, doing a thorough job in terms of cleaning the surface is vital.

Do not scrub the surface as this will create a rough surface which we do not want, instead, use a soft cloth to wipe out all dust particles. Use soapy water to remove stubborn dirt. Ensure that the windows panes are pushed all the way up to deter dust from outside from getting in.

Wait for the dashboard to dry.

The final touch is using alcohol to further clean and polish the dashboard and eliminate any remaining dirt.

• Remove the back sticker on your phone holder base.

The suction cup comes with a sticker that you should smoothly remove. It has a thin layer of adhesive, so avoid touching the surface of the cup.

• Press it on the identified and cleaned surface

Bing the suction cup close to the identified section of the dashboard and gently push the phone holder down onto the cleaned surface.

Continuously press the suction cup for a minimum of 30 Seconds. This long press guarantees that all air in the cup is pushed out and that the thin adhesive stick at the contact points.

• Give it ample time for it to stick before attaching your phone.

Release the phone mount and leave the phone holder to settle.

We recommend that you leave it for a day (24 hours) before mounting the phone on it.

This will allow the phone holder to firmly anchor onto the surface. Any usage of the phone mount earlier may distort things and you may end up redoing the installation process again

• Gently mount your phone and start driving

Once everything is steady and solid, you can now plug your phone on the mount and start using it.

So,there you go,those are the distinct steps on how to make the suction cup stick to the dashboard

READ: How to mount a phone holder in your car’s vents