The coronavirus is a major health problem today that currently lacks a cure. To avoid the saturation of emergencies, the Government of Spain has decreed the State of Alarm and confinement of people at home. A lot of advice is being given these days on how to protect ourselves from the coronavirus pandemic. Today we are going to explain how to keep our smartphone clean and safe.
One of the possible sources of transmission can be our mobile phone , so we should make sure to keep it disinfected. It's recommended to wash our hands when we go out to shop or walk the dog. But during these activities, we might touch our phone and unknowingly leave the virus on it.
[amazon box="B07YT3HKHZ"]Table of Contents
Why should the mobile be disinfected
Under common thermal conditions, the coronavirus could be active for several days on metals, glass, ceramics, and plastics. COVID-19 can reach our terminal in two ways:
- Through small infected droplets when a carrier coughs near us
- Carry the virus with our hands after touching doorknobs, elevator buttons and other surfaces
If we prevent third parties from touching our terminal or do not use it outside the home (or do not carry it with us), the possibility of infection is reduced.
The infection through our terminal is complicated and could be done at least. In addition to being able to be done by the hands, it could also be done by our face or by our ears. The reason is that the terminal touches our face when we call another person by phone.
Getting infected with our coronavirus smartphone is not easy, but there is a possibility of infection. If we wash our hands correctly and sanitize our terminal, there is no risk of contamination.
Chemical products to disinfect the mobile against the coronavirus
There are several fairly common household products that we can find in our house without problems:
Isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is the best option for cleaning and sanitizing your smartphone. If you haven't installed a screen protector, the screen can be damaged by certain chemicals. Isopropyl alcohol, also known as isopropanol , is the best solution because it evaporates and prevents fingerprints from being left on the screen. You can use it with sprays or wipes.
Ideally, a concentration between 70-80%, as the purest version evaporates too quickly. The disinfectant should be applied for at least 1 minute, which is the optimal time for this type of task. A lower concentration could mean a low effectiveness to disinfect our smartphone from the coronavirus.
[amazon box="B07MDKCG3D"]Hydrogen peroxide and ethyl alcohol
If we do not have isopropyl alcohol, as an alternative we have hydrogen peroxide and ethyl alcohol. Both products are not the best and can damage the screen of our smartphone. Even a single use of any of these elements could end up damaging the screen of our mobile. This is because the oleophobic layer of our terminal is susceptible to being damaged by some chemicals.
[amazon box="B00XDWGS30"]Bleach
It is unequivocally the worst solution of all and must be reduced with water. Specifically, the optimum is 1 part of water and 10 parts of bleach. This solution can damage our screen and other elements of the terminal, such as cameras, speakers and other components. If we use this concentration, it should be with a slightly soaked cloth or paper and then dry it efficiently.
[amazon box="B086R3DXT2"]How to remove the coronavirus from your mobile
To perform the hygiene of our smartphone, we must bear in mind that it is based on complex and delicate electronic circuits. The mobiles have speakers and a camera at the top. At the bottom we usually have speakers, the terminal's charging port and even a jack connector. The used chemical could be introduced through these points and break our terminal, so you have to be delicate.
The optimal process is with a cotton ball, a piece of kitchen paper or a clean cloth. We must moisten the cleaning element, not soak it, just moisten it. Then we will delicately pass it through the screen, avoiding the camera and the front speakers at the top. We must also avoid going through the area of the speakers, charging port and audio connector, if we have.
It is not necessary to exert a lot of pressure, we simply have to pass it delicately, it is more than enough.
[amazon box="B084562W282"]Precautions when cleaning the mobile
- Smartphones, tablets, laptops and other types of screens have an oleophobic cover. This type of covering is developed to repel oils, especially the natural ones that our skin secretes. It serves to make the screen easy to clean and the oil from our skin to be easy to clean. This film can be damaged by harsh chemicals such as bleach.
- Do not use under any circumstances the use of aggressive scourers or cloths, aggressive chemicals or certain aerosols.
- Never apply the product directly to the mobile screen, always using a cloth or other element.
How to clean the mobile according to manufacturers and experts
- Samsung indicates that it should be cleaned by a clean soft clothand. It is recommended, by the South Korean company, wet one corner of the cloth and drain to avoid excess liquid
- Google recommendsBefore cleaning, turn off the terminal to avoid short circuits
- Apple indicates to users that it is safest to clean the terminals by disinfectant wipes. This is what they say: “You can carefully pass 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes or Clorox brand disinfecting wipes by iPhone outer surfaces. Don't use bleach. Prevent moisture from entering the openings and do not immerse the iPhone in any cleaning agent "
- Charles Gerba, Microbiologist at Health Magazine indicates that a microfiber cloth slightly dampened in a solution of 60% water and 40% alcohol. He recommends not applying the mixture directly on the screen to avoid damaging it. In the publication it states: “Gently wipe the phone to remove unwanted bacteria and use a dry corner of the cloth to remove excess liquid"
Use of mobile protection screens
If we use protective screens made of tempered glass or similar, the task is quite simplified. This type of screen protections should always be present in our terminals.
For users with screen protectors, the most important thing is, before starting the cleaning process, it is optimal to turn off the terminal. It is best to use rubbing alcohol or disinfectant wipes such as those indicated by Apple. Hydrogen peroxide or medical alcohol may be alternatives, but are less optimal. Using bleach is still a bad idea, despite using a screen protector.
