Don't shake hands, don't touch your face, work at home and wash your hands often and for at least 20 seconds. Good measures to ward off the Corona virus. But what to do with your mobile phone that goes by your side day and nite? You can keep it clean too. We'll give you a few tips.
You touch your phone day in and out. It even goes along to the toilet. It is therefore a potential source of bacterias. Regular cleaning is recommended, not only because of the recent Corona outbreak. Just wiping with a cloth is not enough. Bacterias can only be killed with alcohol but that is often a problem because of the oleophobic coating that is applied to mobile phones. Still, it can be done.
Your mobile phone is best kept clean with disinfectant wipes containing up to 70% isopropanol. This is a disinfectant that is used in many products. In hospitals, for example, you can find it in liquid form for your hands. Apple even recommends wipes containing 70% isopropanol to clean iPhones. By the way, beware of the so called wet wipes for glasses. In addition to isopropanol, they often contain citric acid that affects the coating. Wipes with 70% isopropanol do not offer a 100% guaranty to keep Corona out, but it does disinfect your mobile phone to a maximum.
Alternative ways of disinfection
At the moment it is difficult to get hold of disinfectant wipes. Fortunately, there are alternatives. If you have 99% alcohol at home you can dilute it with water in a 7:3 ratio. Dab it on a microfibre cloth and use it to disinfect your phone. You can also dilute vinegar with water using the same amount of water as vinegar.
Do you happen to have a UV lamp or tanning bed at home? Good news! Ultraviolet light is very effective to kill bacterias, fungi and even yeasts. 10 minutes under UV light is often enough to kill 99.99% of bacterias.
Image: nursingschoolsnearme.com (cc)
