We are constantly clung to our smartphones day in and day out no matter what. Amidst a coronavirus outbreak which has been deemed as an emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), your phone might not be the thing you should be touching right now. This is because phones are categorized as ‘high-touch surface’ and require cleaning every day to keep off bacteria and other unwanted agents grow on it.
This is even crucial since people use their phones every day and everywhere. Thus, phones can become a carrier of the virus although any transmission due to touching such surfaces hasn’t been documented at the time of writing this as per the CDC.
Moving on, phones are pretty gross. This was also proven by a study that was published in the journal Germs in 2017 which found a string of bacteria that harvest on the surface both back and front and can potentially cause a slew of diseases. Here are the “do’s” and the “don’ts” that you must know in other to disinfect your phone almost every day unless the coronavirus becomes less contagious.
The “Don’ts”
You shouldn’t let any liquid or any solution to clean the phone’s exterior when it is plugged to a charger or to a PC or something so remove it.
Cupertino-based Apple recommends people not to use heavy-duty cleaning products and spray cleaners as it can do more damage than infect the phone. This means no aerosol sprays or bleach or using an abrasive cloth or tissue paper as it could ruin the display or other parts of the phone in many ways. Finally, even if your phone comes with an IP68 rating, dipping the phone in water to clean it up is a big NO and so is dipping it in any cleaning solution or alcohol, etc.
The “Do’s”
There’s no rocket science that the phone’s surface harbors a lot of different species of bacteria and thus, disinfecting it is crucial. According to Apple, Clorox can be used to disinfect the phone as it comes with 70% isopropyl alcohol although do it gently. According to the CDC, using any disinfectant authorized by the Environmental Protection Agency can be used to clean the phone’s exterior.
You can use a soft cloth or tissue, dip it in Clorox or other substitute and gently wipe off the display, back panel, and sides. Cleaning the phone case as we all have is imperative as well. You can simply dip it in water and wipe it off before reassembling it.
It is also recommended to use disposable gloves to disinfect the phone and dispose of it. Telecom giant AT&T has advised users to employ headphones as a way to keep the phone away from the face as the transmission of coronavirus or any other disease might take place when the particle comes in contact with eyes, nose, or mouth.
According to CDC, although it is not yet documented that the bacteria on surfaces as the cause behind the transmission of this pandemic, it is still known that the bacteria could stay on the surface for hours at least before losing their ability to affect or so. I hope you will follow the “do’s” and the “don’ts” mentioned above and practice it and stay away from this outbreak.
