Hello Droppers! We’ve been sharing all sorts of cleaning tips with you on this blog, but none quite as relevant as today’s. We’re here to share with you how to disinfect your phone. During the age of COVID, we’re more concerned than ever about our surface spaces and the lifespan of the germs that are on them. Early studies showed that RNA of the novel coronavirus may be able to survive on some surfaces for nine days or even longer. It is unclear if the virus can infect you after that amount of time, but either way, we need to be cleaning our phones as vigorously as we clean our hands! After all, our phones truly serve as an extension of them these days.
Here’s a quick step-by-step on how to disinfect your phone:
- Start by turning it off, and making sure it’s unplugged.
- Grab a lint-free cloth or cotton ball. Microfiber cloths work best! Avoid rougher material, like a paper towel, that can scratch.
- Apply 70 percent rubbing alcohol to the cloth or cotton ball, but not directly to the screen. If you’re going to use a disinfectant wipe, make sure you select one that contains 70% isopropyl alcohol. Never use bleach.
- Allow your phone to dry completely before picking it up again.
You may be concerned about putting any type of liquid on your phone. (We’ve all had moisture scares with our devices!) As long as you use a screen protector and don’t submerge your phone in any liquid or allow moisture into any phone openings or charging ports, your phone should survive disinfection!
You may want to look into getting a UV light as well which can kill 99.99% of germs efficiently. One last tip from us: avoid using your phone while going to the bathroom! Approximately 75 percent of Americans are on their phone while…. doing their business. Even though you wash your hands afterwards, germs still find a way to latch on.
Sources:
https://hartfordhealthcare.org/about-us/news-press/news-detail?articleid=27245&publicId=395
https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/clean-and-organize/ways-to-remove-bacteria-from-your-cellphone