Your cell phone may be 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat
At any moment, 25,000 germs are living on your phone
Don't be like ABC13 meteorologist Collin Meyers.
"I don't clean mine honestly, I set it down everywhere, I sleep with it," Collin Myers said.
Deadly germs, bacteria, and even the coronavirus can live on the surface of your cell phone for about four days.
"You know how you put the phone down on the bathroom sink? I always wipe that part down too, put a napkin down," ABC13's Samica Knight said.
Alcohol wipes are the number one recommended cleaning method for all phone types. But any disinfectant wipe will work.
"I will definitely use one of these little wipes. A Lysol wipe or a Clorox wipe - I just use that to wipe my phone and I do have a case on my phone, so it's not directly going on the device. I just give it a good wipe down," Katherine Whaley said.
Just be careful you don't get any droplets of moisture in the phone. In fact, experts say you should have a case on your phone. Don't take it off to clean it as that will only cause new germs to creep inside.
Wipe the phone all over. You can even wipe the camera and it won't hurt it.
ABC13's Tom Koch says he wipes his phone front and back.
Also, tell your kids not to swap phones.
"Definitely don't loan out a cell phone. Don't borrow a cell phone to check your Insta while you're interacting at school," Tox Doc Dr. Noreen Khan-Mayberry said.
So let's give you the bottom line:
- Experts say at minimum you should clean your phone every other day
- Don't spray your device directly and use a soft cloth
- Never use paper fiber materials like a tissue or a paper towel, as they're more abrasive and can leave scratches
- Check the manufacturer's website. If you damage your phone by using something they don't recommend, you void your warranty
SEE ALSO:
No masks but here are 100+ products that may help protect you against novel coronavirus germs
