A recent study, published by The Journal of Hospital Infection has found that the novel coronavirus can survive on metal, glass, and plastic for as long as nine days unless they are properly disinfected and this includes our smartphones. We spend our entire day on our phones, thanks to the evolution of social media platforms and the fear of missing out. While the lockdown and social distancing can safeguard people from the further spread of the virus, we know the virus is still out there and can attack anyone who is not being cautious.
Here below are the most practical hacks to help limit your exposure to the coronavirus:
Turn off your phone and remove accessories
When cleaning your phone, please do not start with spraying your phone down with disinfectant. That’s a straight no-no. It can damage the phone’s protective shell, ports, screen, and coatings. It is always advisable to first switch off the phone and unplug the accessories like charger, phone cover, etc.
Disinfect your phone with wipes, not alcohol
Straight alcohol can strip the coatings off your phone that keep oil and water from damaging the screen.
It is advisable to instead spray a nonabrasive or alcohol-based (70% isopropyl) disinfectant directly on a microfiber cloth. Wipe down the back and front of your phone.
Cotton buds are your buddies
Once the back and front of the phone are cleaned, there are still some small areas that are usually left unnoticed. Disinfectant wipes are usually difficult to move and clean in those small areas of the phone. It is always better to keep some cotton earbuds handy. You can dip the cotton buds into the disinfectant solution and clean the areas that were left uncleansed.
Don’t forget to clean the accessories
After disinfecting all the areas of the phone, it is imperative to clean all the accessories that you use with the phone like earphones, charger and the phone cover. If done regularly, these cleaning hacks can help save you from the deadly diseases and bacteria that usually get stuck on your phones during day-to-day activities.
Let it dry
Letting the device dry is important so that all the harmful particles are removed from your device.
These hacks are life saviors and work best if phone cleaning is done as an everyday practice. As we are exposed to millions of bacteria every day, it is important to make sure that basic hygiene and sanitation becomes a regular practice.