# Cleaning The Apple Card > Cleaning the Apple Card is a 2019 Twitter meme mocking Apple's titanium credit card for being so delicate that denim jeans and leather wallets could permanently stain it. Cleaning the Apple Card is a meme that emerged in August 2019 after Apple published an unusually detailed guide for maintaining its titanium credit card. The instructions warned users that common materials like leather wallets and denim jeans could permanently stain the card, sparking widespread mockery on Twitter and beyond[4]. People joked that Apple had essentially designed a credit card too delicate for normal life. ## Origin On August 20th, 2019, Apple published a support document titled "How to clean your Apple Card"[4]. The guide detailed the card's delicate white coating and provided specific storage and cleaning instructions. Among the warnings: "Some fabrics, like leather and denim, might cause permanent discoloration that will not wash off"[1]. It also stated users should not place the card in pockets containing "loose change, keys, or other potentially abrasive objects"[2]. The document quickly caught the attention of tech media. AppleInsider published a report highlighting the care instructions, which began circulating on social media[4]. - **Platform:** Apple Support (source document), Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created from Apple's support document) - **Date:** 2019 ## Overview The meme centers on Apple's official cleaning and care document for the Apple Card, a titanium credit card launched in partnership with Goldman Sachs. The card features a white multi-layer coating over a titanium base, laser-etched with the holder's name and Apple logo[1]. Apple's support page instructs owners to clean it with a soft, lint-free microfiber cloth moistened with isopropyl alcohol, and warns against using household cleaners, compressed air, or abrasives[2]. What made the instructions comedic was the list of everyday things that could apparently ruin the card: leather, denim, loose change, keys, other credit cards, and magnetic latches[1]. For a product designed to live in wallets and pockets, these warnings struck people as absurd. ## How It Spread The meme took off on Twitter almost immediately after the support page went live. Users retweeted the AppleInsider report and added their own jokes about the absurdity of a credit card that couldn't survive contact with a wallet[4]. One of the most viral responses came from Twitter user @maccormier, who tweeted: "Don't put the Apple Card in your wallet. Hang in a floating glass frame in a dimly lit, year round 70 degree, humidity controlled location. No flash photography please"[4]. Within two days, the tweet picked up more than 24,000 likes and 4,000 retweets[4]. Throughout August 20th and the following days, others piled on with similar jokes riffing on the theme that Apple had created an impractical luxury object masquerading as a financial tool[3]. Mashable's Chloe Bryan covered the meme wave on August 22nd, 2019, noting Apple's "wild instructions" were "inspiring lots of memes" with the tagline "Please keep your card away from all jeans and most wallets"[3]. The humor worked because it tapped into a broader running joke about Apple products being fragile, overpriced, and demanding special treatment. A credit card that couldn't touch denim fit that narrative perfectly. ## How to Use The meme format is straightforward. People typically take one of two approaches: 1. **Exaggerate the care instructions.** Write a fake Apple-style directive that takes the fragility to absurd extremes, like storing the card in a museum or a hermetically sealed chamber. 2. **Mock the incompatibility with daily life.** Point out that the card can't survive basic activities like putting it in your jeans pocket or next to other cards, then contrast that with how normal credit cards work. ## Cultural Impact The Apple Card care instructions meme was part of a broader wave of Apple skepticism that peaked around 2019. The company had already faced mockery for removing the headphone jack, selling $999 monitor stands, and designing products that prioritized aesthetics over durability[3]. The Apple Card cleaning guide fit neatly into this pattern. Tech journalists and commentators used the story as a springboard to question whether Apple had lost the plot on product design. The card itself, released on August 20th, 2019, was met with "skepticism and humor" from the start, and the cleaning instructions amplified that reaction[3]. The meme was short-lived but intense. It burned through Twitter in a few days and faded as the news cycle moved on, though it occasionally resurfaces whenever Apple releases a product with similarly impractical care requirements. ## Fun Facts - The Apple Card is made of titanium with a white multi-layer coating, which is why it's more susceptible to discoloration than standard plastic credit cards[1]. - Apple's official recommendation is to store the card so it doesn't touch another credit card, because two cards in the same slot "could become scratched"[2]. - The support document also warns against magnetic purse latches, which can demagnetize the card's magnetic strip[1]. - Apple issued the cleaning guide on the same day the card became available to users, meaning the meme hit before many people even had the card in hand[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Cleaning the Apple Card? It's a meme mocking Apple's official care instructions for its titanium credit card, which warned against contact with leather, denim, keys, and other everyday items[4]. ### Where did Cleaning the Apple Card come from? Apple published a support document on August 20, 2019, explaining how to clean and store the Apple Card. The instructions were so specific that people found them funny[1]. ### What does Cleaning the Apple Card mean? The meme pokes fun at the idea that Apple designed a credit card too fragile for normal use, treating it more like a luxury collectible than a payment tool[4]. ### How do you use the Cleaning the Apple Card meme? Typically by exaggerating the care instructions to absurd levels, like suggesting the card needs museum-grade storage conditions[4]. ### Is Cleaning the Apple Card still popular? No. The meme was a brief viral moment in August 2019 and died down within days, though it occasionally resurfaces when Apple releases similarly fussy product guidelines[3]. ### What materials can damage the Apple Card? According to Apple's own support document, leather and denim can cause permanent discoloration, and contact with loose change, keys, or other credit cards can cause scratches[1]. ### Who made the most viral tweet about the Apple Card instructions? Twitter user @maccormier, whose joke about hanging the card in a "floating glass frame" earned over 24,000 likes and 4,000 retweets within two days[4]. ### Is the Apple Card actually made of titanium? Yes. The card is titanium with a white multi-layer coating, laser-etched with the cardholder's name and the Apple logo[2]. ### Who issues the Apple Card? Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch, with Apple Payments Services LLC acting as a service provider[1]. ## References 1. [How to clean your Apple Card - Apple Support]() 2. [How to clean your Apple Card - Apple Support]() 3. [Apple Card Meme - Captions Profile]() 4. [Cleaning the Apple Card - Know Your Meme]() 5. [El Risitas]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/cleaning-the-apple-card Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library