Smartphone, the most essential thing of modern-day life, hosts a lot of bacteria besides the apps and other features. According to molecular biologist Simon Park, our smartphones are dirtier than even the toilet seat. Since we frequently touch the smartphone, bacteria exist on the phone, especially if we touch our face. The fact has been up in the air for months. Now, the coronavirus outbreak has created an urgency to be safe by sanitising your smartphone.
Smartphone makers, including Samsung and Apple, have already come up with a set of instructions to disinfect your device from the bacteria on your device display. The process usually involves wiping the device using a soft, lint-free cloth. However, you should avoid using any abrasive materials, towels, paper towels, harsh chemicals such as alcohol, household sprays or similar items because they can harm the oleophobic coating on display.
Instead, you can use a 70 per cent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes for sanitising the device. However, you should always wipe the hard and nonporous surfaces of your smartphone. The same process can be applied while disinfecting your laptop, tablet or any other gadgets which you use frequently.
Apple noted: "Don't use bleach. Avoid getting moisture in any opening, and don't submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don't use on fabric or leather surfaces."
It would help if you also consider cleaning the device cases using lukewarm soapy water. You can use 70 per cent isopropyl alcohol or some identical disinfecting spray on the back and sides of the devices to get rid of the bacteria on your device.
Even if your smartphone comes with water-resistant certificates, you better not put it under a running water tap as shown in many online videos. Smartphone makers like Apple recommend that you better clean the device with a damp cloth.
You can also buy a UV sanitiser to rapidly clean your device. They are quite affordable and can kill 99 per cent of bacteria in just five minutes. However, WHO recommends that you not use UV lamps to sterilise your hands or other parts of your body as the UV radiation can cause skin irritation.
Using UV rays to disinfect equipment is quite popular in hospitals, but it hasn't been tested against the Covid-19 virus.
