How to Clean and Sanitize Your Cell Phone

Cell phones pick up germs and bacteria from cell phone users and from environmental surfaces.

Keep your cell phone clean and sanitary to avoid contracting viruses and bacterial diseases. Cell phones carry germs, viruses and bacteria. Even methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can reside on your cell phone after touching the skin of an infected person or coming into contact with an infected surface. Clean and sanitize your cell phone daily, or after allowing another person to use your phone. To keep your cell phone clean and sanitary, use a commercial product or make your own sanitizer.

Things You'll Need

• Microfiber cloth
• Alcohol
• Aerosol duster, optional

Instructions

1. 

   Clean your cell phone with a microfiber cloth to avoid lint and scratches.

   Make your own cleaning and sanitizing wipe with a microfiber cloth. Choose a cloth approximately 6 inches square.

2. Dampen your microfiber cloth with rubbing alcohol. Make certain that the cloth is damp, but not dripping wet.

3. Blow on the phone keypad and hinge area with aerosol duster, if desired, to remove loose dust and lint.

4. Wipe your cell phone keypad, display area, hinge or slide area and outside surface with the alcohol-dampened microfiber cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Ninety-nine percent isopropyl alcohol is preferred to lower-concentration alcohol because it evaporates quickly.

• Keep your microfiber cleaning cloth in a self-locking plastic bag in your handbag, desk drawer or other handy location. Reapply alcohol as necessary.

• Sanitize your microfiber cloth by boiling from 5 to 10 minutes.

• Do not use a cloth that is dripping wet, as moisture can get into the keypad of your cell phone and damage the phone.

References

• Business Knowledge Source: How to Clean a Cell Phone
• Science Daily: Video of Virus in Action Shows Viruses Can Spread Faster than Thought Possible
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Stopping the Spread of Germs at Home, Work and School

Resources

• Microfiber: Basic Introduction
• Illinois Department of Public Health: MRSA--Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus