Pass it on: Your cellphone has 10 times more germs than a toilet seat.
Think about that for a minute, we take our cell phones everywhere. They live in our pockets and purses, rubbing up against loose change and the receipt from the gas station. We use them almost everywhere, and set them on nearly any available surface – the kitchen counter, the table at a café, a park bench. We even share them with others.
We pull them out not only to make calls, but also to share videos, play games, send emails and check on our Facebook friends and Twitter followers. Our smart phones are exposed to many forms of bacteria. Wiping them with your greasy shirt sleeve isn't making things any better. Here's how to clean your phone, the right way.
*Note* Household chemicals and disinfectants are too harsh for most smartphones. Make sure you don’t use window cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, ammonia, ajax, CLR, or abrasives. These cleaners are guaranteed to stain your phone or remove the finish
Option one: (When you have time to kill)
To get started you will need to collect a few supplies:
Lint free microfiber cloth – You should be able to pick up a microfiber cloth from an eyeglass store or pharmacy if you don’t have one.
Cotton swabs – We recommend Q-tips branded cotton swabs because the shafts won’t be as flimsy as the cheap off brands.
Distilled water – This is for cleaning your screen. We recommend you get distilled water because it won’t have the chemicals of tap water and won’t leave a film if it drys.
Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol – This is for cleaning your keypad and hard plastic. Many screen manufacturers warn against the use of alcohol on their products so it’s best to consult your owner’s manual before use.
Start by turning off your phone by holding the power button or finding an option in the phone to turn off or swap the battery. You should also remove any case or cover on your phone if you use one, if you have a screen protector you can leave that on.
If you have a keyboard or keypad start cleaning it with a cotton swab dipped in diluted rubbing alcohol. Be careful not to rub too hard and not to get any rubbing alcohol inside the phone or under the keyboard.
Clean Your Case
If you use a plastic phone cover/case use diluted rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs to clean the inside and outside. Let the case air dry before putting it back on the phone.
Option two: (On the go | Painless)
If your always on the go or multi tasking and may not have the time to clean your phone as mentioned above, we have an alternative or you.
Consider picking up a few packs of Wireless Wipes ($6.95/pack of 24 ). According to the package, the product’s creator developed a staph infection on his face that his doctor said was likely from his cell phone and decided it was high time to make it easier to sanitize mobile devices. The wipes are non-corrosive and best of all come in awesome scents like green tea cucumber and pomegranate citrus.
If you want to get more aggressive in your assault on germs, you could invest in a UV cleaner like the PhoneSoap universal charger ($59.95) and UV sanitizer for mobile devices ($19.95). Just place your phone or mobile device in the clamshell case and four minutes later your phone won’t look any different but it will be bacteria-free. UV cleaners blast a range of UV rays at your device and, just like the UV cleaners used by your dentist or doctor, the rays kill off any bacteria harbored in its nooks and crannies.
