According to King Online University, we touch our phones 2,617 times a day.
Our phones come into contact with all types of pathogens through sneeze droplets, sweat droplets, grimy fingers and dirty surfaces. Submerging your phone in water and soap is not advisable; however, there are alternative ways of cleaning your phone and preventing the spread of diseases.
Interested in learning how to disinfect your phone from viruses and germs? Keep reading.
What to use and what not to use
According to the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, you should use a solution with at least 70% alcohol.
Products with 70% alcohol include 70% alcohol wipes, 70% alcohol pads and rubbing alcohol. Make sure that you follow the manufacturer’s advice, as using the wrong disinfectant can ruin your phone. Both Apple and Samsung recommend 70% alcohol wipes, a microfibre cloth with an alcohol solution and wipes. Don’t spray any disinfectant directly on your phone – spray the solution on a microfibre cloth instead.
Conversely, you should avoid household cleaners, alcohol wipes with less than 70% alcohol, soap, water, makeup remover and antiseptic solutions at all costs. These disinfectants are ineffective when it comes to phones and can damage your phone. Avoid using any solution that includes ammonia, lactic acid, bleach and/or hydrogen peroxide. The safest way to clean your phone is to choose a single product that works and stick with it.
Protecting your screen
If you’re worried that you might damage your screen during the process, you should purchase and install a tempered glass screen protector. These screen protectors are easily replaceable – unlike your actual screen. Furthermore, tempered glass screen protectors are five times stronger than normal glass, are scratch-resistant, shatterproof and durable.
Cleaning your phone case
Phone cases trap a lot of dirt. They transfer unwanted pathogens to your phone. Therefore, if you want to make sure that your phone is virus and germ-free, you should also clean your phone case regularly.
The most common way to clean your phone case is using soapy water or a laundry detergent. Submerge your phone case in soapy water for a few minutes, and use a toothbrush or a cotton swab to clean corners and other hard-to-reach bits properly.
If you can’t get rid of stains using soapy water, you have to resort to bleach. Before using bleach, wear protective clothing, lab glasses, a disposable mask and disposable gloves. Then, wipe your phone case using bleach and put it in a well-ventilated area until it dries completely.
If these two methods don’t work, you should definitely start thinking about buying a new phone case. Thankfully, you don’t have to search far and wide for the perfect phone case, as here at Phonebox, we have a good range of phone cases that you can choose from.
