Detailed instructions on how to clean phones during the Covid-19 season
The corona virus can survive on your phone screen for 96 hours, equivalent to 4 days at room temperature.
Your cell phone is dirty, very dirty. It can hold 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat surface. And like any other surface, mobile phones can also be a potential place for the Covid-19 virus to attach.
Rudra Barkappanavar, an immunologist at the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences, estimates that coronavirus can survive on glass surfaces, such as your phone screen, for up to 96 hours, equivalent to 4 days at room temperature.
So one thing's for sure, you'll want to clean your phone every day. But what is the smartest way to do it?
On its website, Apple instructs users to clean all iPhone devices. Google also has similar instructions for Pixels phones. Samsung did not suggest any documentation regarding cleaning their Galaxy phones.
However, with the common characteristics of today's smartphones: having a glass screen, with an oil-repellent, fingerprint-resistant (oleophobic) coating and some degree of water resistance, we can mold it. withdraw an appropriate phone cleaning process during the Covid-19 epidemic season.
This process will ensure 2 things: One is that you will get rid of pathogens from the surface of the phone. Second, you can preserve the oleophobic coating on its surfaces. (Some phones like iphone 8 and above have oleophobic coating on both front and back).
What you need
1. Two microfiber cloths, no ruffles
Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona, says the best phone cleaning tools you can think of are glasses-cleaning cloths that you can buy according to your needs. pack of 6.
In the event that these are not available, the rule of thumb is to prepare yourself with two clean, microfiber cloths that are fine and not ruffled. This ensures the cloth is free of dirt, and worst of all, grains of sand in its surface – a nightmare that can scratch your screen.
2. Soap
The oleophobic coating is very sensitive to chemicals. Therefore, household cleaning products such as military cleaners, javen water instead of even alcohol can also be abrasive to it. Apple said it does not recommend using any type of disinfectant to clean the iPhone screen.
The only product that Apple recommends is soap.
For coronavirus, soap can stick to one end of its lipid membrane and pull it away from the surface of the phone. Soap will work on the principle of washing, you will not kill the virus but will wipe it off your phone.
3. Water
To dilute soap.
4. Cotton swabs
Use in case you want to clean the sim tray.
Steps to clean the phone
Step 1: Unplug all cables and accessories that you are attaching to your phone.
Be gentle so you don't damage your phone - or worse, hurt yourself.
Step 2: Mix soap with water
There will not be a specific number at this step. Use your best instincts to determine the soap/water ratio, depending on how contaminated your phone is.
Step 3: Dip one of the two cloths in the soapy solution.
Squeeze out the water to make sure you have a damp cloth, not soggy.
Step 4: Wipe your phone.
Make sure you wipe all surfaces, from the screen, back, sides. Never immerse your phone in a soapy solution, even if it has the highest water resistance standards.
You should recall a recommendation of every manufacturer. The waterproof standards are just in case of accidents, it doesn't mean you can submerge your phone in water, and wash it every day.
Step 5: Use a dry cloth to wipe your phone again.
This is why you need to prepare two cloths. Use a fine, microfiber, non-ruffled cloth to dry the phone. Don't use paper towels, as they can leave lint on the surface of the phone, especially old paper towels, which are very fragile.
Step 6: Not necessarily but you can remove the sim tray to clean it.
Step 7: Dip a cotton swab into the soapy solution Squeeze it dry with your hands and wipe the sim tray.
Step 8: Dry the sim tray with a dry cloth, then close it to its original position.
In case you still want to wipe your phone with alcohol
Alcohol can inactivate the corona virus, which is causing the Covid-19 epidemic. But in return, it can destroy the oleophobic coating. In case you want a trade-off, Dr. Gerba says you can use a product that contains 60% water and 40% alcohol.
Dampen a corner of the cloth with the solution and then use it to wipe the surface of the phone. Do not spray or drip alcohol solution directly on it. After you have finished wiping, use a dry cloth corner to wipe it again in case the alcohol has not evaporated.
A simpler way to protect the oleophobic coating is to put a screen protector on your phone. However, many screen protectors are also oleophobic, so you'll still have to trade off your experience with the cleanliness of your phone if you wipe it with alcohol.
Typically, oleophobic coatings have a lifespan of about 2 years. You can check if it's still there by putting a drop of water on the screen. If the water drops are concentrated in one spot, your phone still has the oleophobic coating. If the water drops, it means the oleophobic has been destroyed.
Another test is to use a damp cotton swab or wet finger to trace a line across the screen. If the water doesn't form streaks but drifts along your finger, it means the oleophobic coating is still present. On the contrary, it was destroyed.
Cách kiểm tra điện thoại có còn lớp phủ oleophobic hay không
In case the oleophobic coating is gone, you can wipe your phone with alcohol without fear of destroying it again. In addition to oleophobic, the layers of your screen glass are alcohol-safe.
Or if you want to re-coat your phone screen oleophobic, there are also products and services on the market to help you do that.
However, it is a fact that wiping the phone with alcohol will only inactivate viruses and pathogens. It cannot clean the dirt and still leaves virus and bacteria on your phone. So, the best way to clean your phone during the Covid-19 season is still to clean it with a soft cloth soaked in soap.
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