The COVID-19 outbreak makes us take extra care to make sure that we are not spreading the virus such as frequent hand washing and staying at home where possible. It’s also important to make sure that we are keeping commonly touched surfaces as clean as possible, and the number one surface that we all touch the most is our phone.
It’s something that you may not have considered, but think how much time you spend on your phone. Especially now as we use them more and more because we are stuck at home.
Countless studies have shown that all kinds of bacteria can live on our smartphones. Of course, not all bacteria are harmful. One that causes the COVID-19 virus definitely is. So do you need to be cleaning your phone, and what’s the best way to do so?
Should you be cleaning your phone?
Washing your hands ‘should be enough’ to prevent you from contracting the virus from your phone. But think about how many times you touch your phone in between hand washing. In fact, some studies have shown that we touch our smartphones as much as 2617 times a day.
With that in mind, it definitely makes sense to start cleaning your phone and phone case to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
How to clean your phone properly
The first thing you do not want to do anything that could potentially damage your phone and many manufacturers have been updating their support pages with cleaning advice for their devices.
Some websites suggest you creating a mix of alcohol and water yourself, but it’s so important to get the concentration right. Get it wrong and you could damage your phone. The safest bet is using disinfectant wipes that contain 70% isopropyl alcohol to clean your phone.
In the past, Apple advised against using disinfectant wipes, but now they say it’s okay to use Clorox Wipes and others with similar concentrations. On the other hand, Samsung has said you can create an alcohol-based solution of 70% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, applied on phone with a microfiber cloth.
Another good option for everyday cleaning is investing in a UV light. The companies that make UV light cleaners claim to kill 99.99% of germs and banish bacteria.
How often should you clean your phone?
The most common way that your phone can have COVID-causing bacteria is if someone with the virus cough or sneezes, causing tiny droplets to land on the device. With that in mind, if you have been in contact win anyone doing a lot of coughing or sneezing, it makes sense to give your phone a proper clean.
Other than this, exactly how often you need to clean your phone will depend on how much you use it throughout the day, but use common sense and make sure that you are cleaning your phone regularly.
Of course, if you are washing your hands frequently then you have less need to clean your phone so frequently, perhaps just once or twice a day.
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