OK, thank you for the clarifications. That does paint a (very) different picture.
A sewing needle. It’s small enough to easily maneuver around that blade. I’ve cleaned maybe a dozen USB-C ports by now – mine, my husband’s, my sister’s, a couple of friends’… You can look and see nothing, because the crud is pressed up against the side. But if you scrape it with the needle it comes loose and then can be removed. And voila, the phone charges again.
Does the charger use a USB-C cable?
USB A on the charger(s) end.