Phones are ten times more germy than a toilet seat: How to properly clean your phone

Your phone could be carrying coronavirus right now !!!!

4 years ago

With the cases of coronavirus increasing every day and health experts warning us that the virus can live on metal surfaces, like doorknobs and handrails, for up to nine days, it’s safe to say we’re all keen hand-washers. However, I can bet that after each handwash or before you eat your dinner or maybe even while you’re on the toilet, you touch your phone.

You may think your hands are clean but as soon as you touch your phone you’re potentially picking up huge amounts of germs and bacteria. In fact, a recent study found that our phones carry 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat (10 TIMES !!!). The potential for spreading the virus through our phones is so significant, health experts advise us to clean them twice a day.

Unfortunately, we can’t just take our phones in the shower or whack them in the washing machine, we equally can’t just dunk them in a bowl of hand-san. Instead, Apple and Samsung have suggested the best ways to clean our phones properly without destroying them.

How to clean your phone:

A cloth and some hot soapy water

On their support page, Apple recommends that you should turn off your device and wipe it with a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth (similar to what you would use to clean your glasses). Obviously this doesn’t get rid of bacteria so to kill germs, you can slightly dampen the cloth with hot soapy water, but avoid getting any water in your charging or headphone port. They advise against using cleaning products or compressed air. Samsung Galaxy suggests similar.

Go in with some alcohol-based products

The above may sound like a fiddly ball-ache, but some studies have suggested that we need harder, alcohol-based products to get rid of viruses. Todd Haselton, CNBC’s technology product editor, recommends buying a cheap screen protector and then using anti-bacterial wipes (eg Detol) to clean your smartphone, making sure to do the sides and back, but not where the ports are.

Although we can’t rub hand sanitizers on our phone, Dr Jenna Macciochi, an immunologist at the University of Sussex said, “alcohol 60%+ sanitiser, hydrogen-peroxide or bleach-based cleaners are effective at killing coronaviruses that survive on surfaces. So use these where possible and always with frequent hand washing”. Basically a dry cloth and some hand-san could work.

Use cleaning wipes specifically for devices

Your phone isn’t the only problem, work computers, TV remotes and keyboards are just as likely to carry loads of bacteria. Places like Staples, Ryman and Currys PC World sell wipes specifically for electronic devices, which y0u can also use on your phone.

All in all, your phones are grubby, dutty things. Don’t use them when you’re at dinner (this is also bad manners), don’t take them on the toilet (this is weird) and if you’re touching it a lot during the day, avoid contact with your eyes, mouth or nose.