- The best way to clean your smartphone safely without damaging its screen or internal components is to wipe it down with a lightly dampened microfiber cloth.
- Using standard cleaning products, like disinfectant wipes and rubbing alcohol, could remove the coating on your device's screen that protects it from collecting fingerprint smudges and other substances found on your hands.
- You could also try using a UV sanitation device, which is an electronic device that beams UV-C rays at your phone to kill germs.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
If you're anything like the average American, you probably check your smartphone more than 50 times per day, as a Deloitte study from 2018 found.
And each time you do, your mobile device picks up more bacteria from your hands. In fact, The University of Arizona found back in 2012 that cellphones carry 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat, largely because toilet seats are typically cleaned more frequently while personal electronics are largely overlooked.
As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization are advising the general public to wash their hands often and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. That means keeping your phone clean is important as well.
But cleaning your phone can be tricky, considering many of the standard cleaning products you'd typically use for disinfection could potentially damage your mobile device.
Here's a look at how you can clean your phone safely without damaging its screen or internal components.
