Are you worried about how to clean your phone and other technology to keep them as germ-free as possible? Here are some tips to follow to guide your choices of tech-safe cleaners, screen wipes and more to help clean your phone in the best possible way.
We use our phones a lot
On average, users touch their phones between 2500 and 3000 times a day, and that number increases to over 5000 times a day for heavy users. The time between touching your phone and other people and various surfaces, bacteria can easily spread.
Some bacteria and viruses can remain on surfaces for anywhere from a few hours or up to several days or more, depending on the surface material and environmental conditions. Having dirt and dust on the phone is also not optimal. That's why it's important to learn how to best clean your phone.
How to clean your phone in 5 easy steps
Unlike washing your hands, you cannot use soap and water to clean your technology. Most phone manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung recommend that you use alcohol-based cleaning or disinfecting wipes.
Follow these 4 steps for the best way to clean your phone
(You can also use this process to clean tablets.)
- 1. Turn off and disconnect the phone.
- 2. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water; scrub for at least 20 seconds.
- 3. Gently wipe the outside of the phone, including the screen, with an antibacterial cloth. Or spray a soft cloth with an alcohol-based disinfectant containing at least 70% isopropyl and use it to clean your phone. (The ratio of 70% alcohol is important: it's enough of a concentration to kill all the bacteria on the phone's surface.)
- 4. Avoid getting moisture into charging ports.
- 5. To clean charging ports, it is not recommended that you use any agent, it is better to use a cotton swab or compressed air on a can, in some cases even a needle can be used to remove stubborn dirt.
Read our full guide on how to clean the charging port .
Before cleaning any of your devices, make sure that check the manufacturer's instructions in case something special applies to your particular device.
How to clean your phone case and other accessories
It's not just the phone's surfaces that get dirty; your phone case and any accessories like headphones also pick up bacteria.
You can follow the same cleaning instructions for accessories as you did for your phone. Wash your hands and then use a disinfectant wipe or cloth sprayed with an alcohol-based cleaner.
If recommended by the manufacturer, clean hard cases with soap and warm water as needed, washing for at least 20 seconds. While you're at it, wipe down the cords you're using too, as these too can get dirty and covered in bacteria.
In addition, you can also invest in antibacterial accessories that have antimicrobial protection built in. Things like glass screen protectors with embedded silver ions are designed to kill almost any bacteria that can collect on a screen.
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