Cleaning: How to Clean Your Phone
Before you take any cleaning measures, disconnect your phone from its charger, or remove it from a wireless charging pad, and turn off the device. This will show you how dirty the screen is, along with preventing you from accidentally calling someone or opening an app.
Use a Microfiber Cloth
Your first line of defense is a microfiber cloth. You likely have a few of these lying around, as these cloths usually come with purchases of screen protectors, sunglasses, or regular glasses. These cloths are readily available at local retailers if you don’t have one handy. Here’s how to use a microfiber cloth properly to clean your phone.
Use a Cleaning Wipe
Pre-moistened cleaning wipes that are made specifically for phones are a convenient way to clean your screen on the go. There are a variety of brands, including iCloth and Well-Kept, that are handy to keep in a travel bag, car, or office desk. Make sure whatever brand you select has a low or zero alcohol percentage to keep the screen safe. Cleaning wipes differ from disinfecting wipes (see below).
Disinfecting: How to Disinfect Your Phone
There are a few easy ways to disinfect your phone. Use specialty wipes or solutions, or make a safe disinfecting solution with distilled water and white vinegar or isopropyl alcohol.
Disinfecting Wipes and Solutions
While cleaning wipes remove dirt, grime, fingerprints, and other residue, disinfecting wipes or solutions disinfect surfaces. Disinfectant products that are safe for phones and screens contain a diluted amount of isopropyl alcohol, so there’s enough to kill germs but not enough to damage your phone. A good example of a safe premade phone disinfectant is Whoosh, which is a device and surface disinfectant and sanitizer.
Distilled Water and White Vinegar or Rubbing Alcohol
To save money and create your own disinfectant, use a diluted solution of water and white vinegar or isopropyl alcohol. This not only gets rid of oily fingerprints and sticky spots but also kills germs on the surface. Make sure to use distilled water since tap water might have impurities and other minerals that scratch the phone screen.
Sanitizing: Sanitizing Your Phone
Sanitizing your phone and screen lowers the number of germs to a safe level, lowering the risk of spreading infections. Ultraviolet sanitizers are unique devices into which you place a phone. These sanitizers use special bulbs that emit the right amount of UV-C light needed to kill more than 99% of germs on a phone. The best phone sanitizers are easy to use, destroy germs and bacteria, and can charge a phone during the disinfecting process.
What Not to Do: How Not to Clean Your Phone
Now that you know how to clean, disinfect, and sanitize your phone and screen, it’s time for a reminder about what not to use when cleaning your phone. You may be tempted to use some of these cleaners and items if you don’t have the proper tools handy, but resist this temptation at all costs. Even with a screen protector, these cleaners can cause unrecoverable damage to a phone if the liquid gets inside. Avoid the following at all costs:
Window cleaners or household cleanersCompressed air (for the speakers and ports)Aerosol spray cleanersHarsh solvents such as acetone, lighter fluid, and gasolineDish soapBleachAmmoniaUndiluted alcohol-based cleaning liquidsAbrasive powdersHydrogen peroxide
