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How (and why) to clean and disinfect your smartphone

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No offense, but your smartphone is a dirty magnet. It does not just collect fingerprints and worldly dirt; viruses and bacteria can and do exist in your device, and every time you touch it, you will interact with all of them. Due to the recent emphasis on disinfection and disinfection of the world around us, it is best not to forget the equipment in your pocket or hand all day long.
Unfortunately, some seemingly common-sense cleaning techniques can actively damage components such as screens and charging ports-they are more fragile than you think. Therefore, it is very important to understand how to clean your smartphone in the right way.
You can use disinfectant wipes, UV disinfectant, antibacterial casing or all of the above… [+] to keep your phone clean.
And there is ample evidence that your phone is not as hygienic as you hope. In 2017, in the scientific research on the mobile phones of high school students, a variety of potentially pathogenic microorganisms were found on their devices. How much is it? As early as 2002, a researcher found 25,127 bacteria per square inch on the phone-it was a phone fixed on the desktop, instead of taking you to the bathroom, the subway, and anything in between. Phone anywhere.
With their own equipment, these bacteria will not disappear soon. Dr. Kristin Dean, Deputy Medical Director of Doctor On Demand, said: “In some studies, the cold virus lasts for up to 28 days on the surface.” But this does not mean that it will keep you sick. “Influenza viruses have been shown to cause up to eight hours of infection on hard surfaces such as mobile phones,” Dean said.
Therefore, your mobile phone may not be the most important disease transmission vector in your life, but it is indeed possible to contract diseases just by using your mobile phone-therefore, keeping your mobile phone clean and disinfected is an important part of fighting against E. coli, streptococcus, and any other A number of other viruses, up to and including COVID. This is what you need to know.
It is not difficult to clean and disinfect your phone, but you need to do this frequently. If your phone leaves your home — or takes it out of your bathroom pocket — then its surface may be reinfected regularly. A daily cleaning program is ideal, but if there is too much demand, try cleaning your phone at least twice a week. You can also use some automated methods every day-please read the following sections to learn about these methods.
For best results, use alcohol-based disinfecting wipes or Clorox disinfecting wipes, and a soft non-abrasive cloth-microfiber cloth is ideal. Why? Apple specifically recommends 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes and Clorox wipes, which are also good general guidelines for most other smartphones.
But you should never use any abrasive cloth, including napkins and paper towels. Avoid most disinfectant wipes, especially anything that contains bleach. Never spray the cleaner directly on the phone; you can only apply the cleaner through a damp cloth or disinfectant wipes.
Why take these precautions? Many smartphones use specially treated glass that can be damaged by harsh chemicals, including bleach-based cleaners and rough cloths. And you certainly don’t want to use spray to force the cleaning fluid into ports or other openings on your phone.
If the manual cleaning process seems like a lot of work-and you may not remember to do something regularly-then there is a simpler (depending on how well you manually clean the phone, it can be said to be more thorough) method. Use UV disinfectant for your phone.
A UV sterilizer is a countertop device (and any other small items you might want to sterilize) that you plug your phone into. The gadget is bathed in ultraviolet light, especially UV-C, and it has been shown to eliminate microscopic pathogens like the COVID-19 virus, not to mention super bacteria like MRSA and Acinetobacter.
Equipped with a UV sterilizer, you can clean the phone (and the phone case separately) at any time. The cleaning cycle lasts for a few minutes and is unattended, so you can leave it wherever the key is dropped and give your phone a UV bath when you get home from get off work. Here are some of the best UV disinfectants you can buy today.
PhoneSoap has been manufacturing UV disinfectants for some time, and the Pro model is one of the company’s newest and largest models. You can use it to install any mobile phone on the market, including large models such as the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
It runs a disinfection cycle in half the time of other PhoneSoap devices—just 5 minutes. It has three USB ports (two USB-C and one USB-A), so it can be used as a USB charging station to charge other devices at the same time.
It’s hard not to like the aesthetics of Lexon Oblio, it looks more like a sculpture than a technological device. The vase-shaped container is a 10-watt wireless Qi-certified charger that can quickly charge most mobile phones in three hours.
However, when the phone is inside, Oblio can also be configured to bathe in UV-C light to almost eliminate viruses and bacteria. It takes about 20 minutes to run its antibacterial cleaning cycle.
The Casetify UV cell phone sterilizer is equipped with no less than six UV lamps, allowing it to run a high-speed cleaning cycle in just three minutes, the fastest cleaning cycle you can find anywhere. This is convenient if you are eager to retrieve your phone. Inside, the disinfectant can also be used as a Qi-compatible wireless charger.
With the right antibacterial accessories, you can proactively keep your phone clean and away from bacteria-or at least clean it a bit. These accessories are not magic; they are not impervious shields that completely protect you from bacteria. But it is surprising how many protective cases and screen protectors now have antibacterial properties, which have a real and measurable effect on reducing the impact of bacterial accumulation on mobile phones.
But let us set expectations at the right level. Antibacterial casings or screen protectors may reduce the ability of bacteria to colonize the phone. Although this is a good feature, it does not prevent COVID. For example, it is a virus rather than a bacteria. This means that the antibacterial casing and screen protector are part of the overall strategy to keep the phone sterile. We recommend that you purchase antibacterial accessories the next time you upgrade your phone or replace the phone case. It’s a good idea to combine it with regular cleaning that can capture everything else, whether it’s manual use of wipes and cloths or automatic use of UV disinfectants.
Most popular modern mobile phones have antibacterial protective shells and screen protectors. To guide you in the right direction, we have collected some of the best accessories before iPhone 12; these models can also be used on other phones from companies such as Apple and Samsung.
Spec’s Presidio2 Grip case is suitable for a variety of smartphones, and you can easily find many popular models on Amazon. This polycarbonate case is flexible enough to protect your phone from drops as high as 13 feet-this is the best protection you can get in a thin case. It is also named “Grip” because of its ribbed texture and rubber grip.
This is a protective cover that will not slip off your finger easily. But one of its more unusual features is Microban’s antibacterial protection-Spec promises that it can reduce bacterial growth on the outer shell by 99%, which means far fewer bacteria enter your pocket.
In the sea of ​​my thin smartphone cases, Tech21’s Evo case is known for its transparency, which means that you can actually see the color you paid for when you bought the phone. In addition, it has UV resistance and is guaranteed not to turn yellow over time, even when exposed to direct sunlight=[ sunlight.
While protecting your phone, it can resist drops of up to 10 feet. Thanks to the cooperation with BioCote, the case has “self-cleaning” anti-microbial properties, which can continue to destroy the growth of viruses and bacteria on the surface.
Otterbox is one of the best-selling mobile phone case brands, and this is for good reason. This company knows how to protect your phone from damage, and the thin case comes in a variety of colors, including transparent colors, which can withstand drops and impacts, and meets the military standards in MIL-STD-810G (same as many rugged laptops) Specifications) adhere to). In addition, it has built-in antibacterial materials to protect the case from many common bacteria and viruses.
Otterbox doesn’t just make antibacterial boxes; the brand also has screen protectors. The Amplify Glass screen protector is manufactured in collaboration with Corning; it provides a high level of scratch resistance, and the antibacterial agent is baked into the glass so that it will not wear or rub off-it can extend the life of the accessory .
It is also the first antibacterial glass registered with the EPA. It has been proven to be safe and non-toxic and can be used normally. The package contains a complete installation kit, so it is easy to install.
Don’t be fooled; modern screen protectors are not simple glass sheets. For example: Zagg’s VisionGuard+ screen protector is full of high-tech features. It is very sturdy, made with a tempering process, and has a high degree of scratch resistance.
The edges are specially strengthened to prevent the chips and cracks that they usually form. And the aluminosilicate glass includes an EyeSafe layer, which basically acts as a blue light filter for easier viewing at night. Of course, it also includes antibacterial treatment to inhibit the growth of microorganisms on the surface.
I am a senior editor at Forbes. Although I started in New Jersey, I currently live in Los Angeles. After graduating from university, I served in the air force I run
I am a senior editor at Forbes. Although I started in New Jersey, I currently live in Los Angeles. After graduating from university, I served in the Air Force, where I operated satellites, taught space operations, and performed space launch programs.
After that, I served as the content director on Microsoft’s Windows team for eight years. As a photographer, I photographed wolves in natural environments; I am also a diving instructor and co-hosted several podcasts, including Battlestar Recaptica. Currently, Rick and Dave control the universe.
I am the author of nearly three dozen books on photography, mobile technology, etc.; I even wrote an interactive storybook for children. Before joining the Forbes Vetted team, I contributed to websites including CNET, PC World, and Business Insider.


Post time: Aug-24-2021