How to clean your cell phone
Cleaning your cell phone is essential to prevent the spread of disease, but cleaning requires some care
Image: Charles Deluvio on Unsplash
Cell phones and other frequently used electronic devices accumulate a lot of invisible dirt, such as viruses, bacteria and even fungi. Therefore, it is essential to clean the cell phone from time to time, preventing the spread of diseases. But the cleaning of electronics requires some specific care. Stay tuned!
Cell phones can act as a means of transmitting diseases, as we use the device many times a day and in different places, including the bathroom. At home or on public transport, we rarely take care to wash our hands well before or after using the cell phone, which can lead to carelessness in putting our hands on our face after handling the dirty device.
In addition, when using the device for calls or when recording audio messages, droplets of saliva or sweat may splash on the phone . It's important to clean all of this up to prevent the spread of germs.
How to clean your cell phone
Unlike our hands, it is not recommended to use soap and water or alcohol gel to clean the cell phone, as it is a sensitive electronic device that can be damaged by moisture.
In addition, the use of these products or other chemicals, such as chlorine, bleach or liquid alcohol with a high concentration, can damage the touch screen from the screens of your smartphone or tablet.
To avoid damage, the ideal is to use isopropyl alcohol with 70% concentration to clean the cell phone. There are also specific handkerchiefs for this function, but they are more difficult to find here in Brazil and they do not always have characteristics capable of destroying viruses and other microorganisms. Another option, more efficient, but difficult to access, is to use specific equipment to clean the cell phone with UV light.
The video below compares different cleaning methods and shows the amount of dirt before and after each cleaning:
Before cleaning your phone, take some precautions:
- Use only soft, lint-free cloths. Avoid using towels, abrasive wipes, paper towels and similar items.
- Avoid over-cleaning as damage may occur.
- Disconnect all external power supplies, devices and cables.
- Keep liquids away from the product unless there are guidelines for specific products.
- Do not allow moisture to enter openings.
- Do not use aerosol sprays, bleach or abrasives.
- Do not spray cleaning products directly on the item.
These measures should ensure that your cell phone is clean, disinfected, and continues to function smoothly. The video below explains in detail how to clean your phone:
