Improved sensitivity of sedimentary phospholipid analysis resulting from a novel extract cleanup strategy

•Cleanup procedure for analysis of phospholipids in environmental samples implemented.•It is superior to a conventional silica gel column for phospholipid recovery for LC–ESI-MS.•It is appropriate for sediments of different type and TOC content and phospholipid detection is improved.•It can provide more accurate and comprehensive information on sedimentary microbial lipid fingerprints.