Clean your phone: How to clean your phone amid coronavirus outbreak

There are three common strands of advice for minimising the spread of the deadly coronavirus, issued by bodies like the NHS and World Health Organization (WHO). If you have to sneeze, do it into a tissue or your sleeve and avoid contact with unwell people, and wash your hands with soap often.

However, the near-ubiquitous smartphone complicates this final message.

Good hygiene is essential as it is very easy to transfer the virus onto your clean hands by touching something

Hygiene expert

People can constantly sanitise their hands, but bacteria and viruses such as COVID-19 living on the phone can immediately transfer back to those hands.

This can occur within seconds of checking WhatsApp or Instagram with hitherto clean hands.

Few people regularly keep their phone clean.

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A 2011 study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine disturbingly discovered one in six phones analysed showed traces of faecal matter.

Everyone will want their smartphone to be free of horrors such as Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter spp, in addition to coronavirus.

A professor who studies infectious disease told TechRadar: “Good hygiene and disinfecting regularly touched items like door handles, surfaces and telephones are essential as it is very easy to transfer the virus onto your clean hands by touching something that someone with the virus has come into contact with or been in the vicinity of.”

How to clean coronavirus from your phone:

The same substances used to clean your hands can clean phones of coronavirus.

However, some are substances are more suitable than others.

The current advice is to moisten a lint-free cloth often used to clean a pair of glasses.

Then add some soap and give your phone and its case a thorough wipe down.

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Although water itself does not inactivate or destroy viruses it can effectively wash them away.

Soap is far superior to water because it contains fat-like substances.

Viruses themselves are composed of genetic material, proteins and fats.

When soap interacts with viruses the fat-like substances in the soap compete with the viral lipids and cause the virus to break down.

Alcohol gels are different because they instead contain a high concentration of alcohol, ethanol capable of killing viruses.

Although water itself does not inactivate or destroy viruses it can effectively wash them away.

Soap is far superior to water because it contains fat-like substances.

Viruses themselves are composed of genetic material, proteins and fats.

When soap interacts with viruses the fat-like substances in the soap compete with the viral lipids and cause the virus to break down.

Alcohol gels are different because they instead contain a high concentration of alcohol, ethanol capable of killing viruses.

However, the advantage of soap is when combined with water it can cover large surface area.

The preference is consequently always to be using soap and water where possible.

If not, then alcohol gel with a good technique will also work.

Always exhibit caution when washing phones with alcohol-based solution.

Wipes and gels with a very high concentration of alcohol can damage the oleophobic layer used to avoid obvious oily fingerprint smudges on your phone’s touchscreen.

Although some higher-end phone models have their own oleophobic coatings, be aware many phones have cheap plastic screen protectors.

All smartphone makers also recommend avoiding cleaning solutions containing bleach or abrasives, and the use of any rough cloths.

When combined, these may spoil the finish of a phone’s metal sides and cause micro-abrasions in glass capable of dulling surfaces.

A final option for rendering your phone coronavirus free is the most futuristic.

People can opt for the high tech from companies including PhoneSoap and Homedics.

These stores offer UV coronavirus sanitisers for phones.

These reassemble little tanning beds that bath phones in coronavirus-killing ultraviolet light.

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