germ spinner
Clean your cell phone: That’s why you should disinfect your smartphone regularly
It is now more important than ever to clean your cell phone regularly and thoroughly
© Jens Rother / Getty Images
Have you just washed your hands and already got your hands on your cell phone? Then you can disinfect your hands again right away – because your smartphone is a dangerous source of germs if it is not cleaned regularly.
Did you know that we tap our phones an average of 2,500 times every day? And even if we hold the smartphone in our hands less often, that doesn’t change the fact that millions of germs, bacteria – and viruses – spread on the surface. Although the pathogens can only survive a maximum of three days on stainless steel and plastic surfaces, that is still enough time for the corona diseases, which are spreading ever faster. So why put yourself at unnecessary risk when cleaning your phone regularly is just as easy as cleaning your hands? The same also applies to PCs, tablets and laptops: The following is a summary of how to properly disinfect all displays, keyboards and touchscreens.
Which cleaning agents for displays are recommended?
The display of a smartphone is particularly sensitive and should therefore not come into contact with aggressive cleaning agents that contain soap (such as glass or window cleaners). Otherwise, the oil-repellent properties of the surface, which is supposed to protect the display from fingerprints and grease, could be destroyed. Under normal circumstances, using an ordinary screen cleaner would already be sufficient. There are a variety of different products, such as a practical cleaning set for on the go rye or a screen cleaner including a microfiber cloth from flower (100ml), CleanTech (200ml) as well SUBTAN blue (500ml).
In times of the Corona crisis, the classic cleaning agents are not sufficient to completely disinfect the display of your smartphone, tablet or laptop: Most disinfectants usually contain no alcohol and can therefore only kill bacteria and not viruses. In order to minimize the risk of infection, it is currently particularly important to clean the mobile phone with disinfectants containing alcohol. According to Apple, those products that are 70 percent isopropyl alcohol (Dilute if necessary) or Clorox disinfectant wipes – although it used to be said that alcohol was not recommended for displays. Because of this, you need to be very careful when cleaning it.
Avoid mistakes: How to clean your cell phone properly
- Before cleaning, make sure your phone is not plugged into a power source. It is best to switch it off completely and let it cool down before you start disinfecting.
- You should never spray the cleaning agent on the display to prevent liquids from penetrating through the housing openings or connection sockets into the interior of the smartphone and causing major damage.
- It is best to use to clean the display microfiber cloth – it is soft and lint-free. Wet the cloth with the cleaning agent and gently wipe all surfaces, i.e. the front and back.
- Last but not least, not only the mobile phone is a germ spinner, but also its case. If you thoroughly clean the smartphone, always remember to disinfect the case separately as well – otherwise the whole campaign would have been in vain.
How to reduce germs on your cell phone
To prevent numerous bacteria, viruses and other pathogens from accumulating on your smartphone, you can take a number of preventive measures. The first and most important tip is: Don’t take your cell phone to dirty places where they could be contaminated, such as toilets – especially the public ones. It is also advisable not to touch the smartphone after applying lotion to your hands until they are dry again – otherwise the oily residue is the ideal breeding ground for bacteria. This applies to all cosmetics that contain fats. Last but not least: The smartphone has no place on the dining table!
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