Clean Your Cell Phone – the Right Way
With the start of cold and flu season, not to mention the lingering presence of COVID-19, we’re all doing what we can to minimize our exposure to germs.
One of the worst offenders for contamination? Our cellular devices. Many of us carry our cell phones with us nearly everywhere, making them one of the dirtiest objects we come into contact with every day.
Scientists from the University of Arizona have found that cell phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats!
The good news? Protecting yourself from the 25,127 bacteria per square inch on your mobile device is quite easy.
How to Clean Your Phone
While you want to remove harmful bacteria from your phone, it’s crucial to use the right materials so you don’t cause the device to malfunction.
When cleaning your phone, your first thought may be to use rubbing alcohol or paper towels. Those cleaning techniques may seem good, but can be harmful to your phone as they can strip away protective coatings from your screen. Straight alcohol can damage the phone’s display and ports. The safest way would be to use disinfectant wipes that contain 70 percent isopropyl alcohol to clean your phone screen.
AT&T suggests that you should start by cleaning your hands, turning off the device and removing all accessories from the phone. A soft rag, like a microfiber cloth, should be used to clean off any debris on the phone. A device should be cleaned with a disinfecting wipe, 70 percent isopropyl alcohol-based wipes, or a soft cloth suitable for a lens.
How Often Should You Clean Your Phone
Throughout the day we touch so many items we can’t keep count. All of those items have germs that are transferred to our hands once we have touched them. Once we get those germs, we begin to spread them onto items that we touch, like our phones. The average American touches their phone 2,617 times per day, which leaves our phones constantly covered with germs. Because of our constant touches and dependency on our phones, we should be cleaning them at least twice a week or even daily.
Tips for Keeping Your Phone Clean
It can be hard to keep the most frequently touched item in our daily lives clean, so here are a few tips that can help.
- Wash your hands frequently can help prevent transferring germs to your phone.
- Try to keep your phone out of reach from others as they can add and spread germs to your phone.
- Don’t use your phone while in the restroom.
- Limit your phone usage while using public transportation.
- Wipe the screen at least daily to decrease germs.
Staying Clean
Even though we touch our phones constantly throughout the day, we can still make time to clean them. Cleaning your phone is a simple and easy task that can be done every day. So, the next time you look at your phone, take a few moments and disinfect your device.
Thanks for the info.