Also read Official Coronavirus Live Maps and Apps to Track COVID-19
1. General Habits Around Devices
Clean your smartphone, at-least once a day to maintain regular hygiene. Your phone comfortably touched your face while you talk. As the chance of contamination is a lot more try using a headset so you can escape bringing the phone closer to the face. Don’take it to the bathroom, I’m serious! It’s one section of the house which is filled with germs and can act as a medium for virus spread. Don’t believe me? Here’s a picture representation. Avoid lending your phone to people until it’s necessary. It’s better to be cautious than sorry!
2. Clean Your Phone
3. Using a Special Device Dedicated to cleaning your phone
If you don’t want to keep cleaning your devices manually, there a device to do that for you as well. As you’re constantly scrolling while you’re eating, playing games and even in the loo (which you should avoid), it’s not always possible to clean it manually or that frequently. One device that you can use is a UV light cleaner specially designed for electronic devices. Some of the top-rated products include HoMedics UV-Clean Portable Sanitizer, Munchkin Portable UV Sterilizer or PhoneSoap UV Sanitizer, all of which claim to kill 99.99% bacteria. These devices generally use UV-C LED Technology and are safer than wipes which might harm the phone’s surface. Samsung uses them in-house and the best part is, you can use other objects too (if they fit).
4. What not to use
Our smartphones screens are fragile surfaces and have an oleophobic coating (oil-repellent), but if you somehow manage to destroy the coating, here is iFixit’s guide on, How to Restore or Apply an Oleophobic Coating. Hence, to protect this surface using any type of strong household cleansers can be damaging which might lead to screen erosion. You must also not use any type of abrasive material such as a bathing towel or a paper which possibly will scratch the surface of your phone. Just keep in mind and do not go over the top to clean your devices. If need be, you can follow the steps I discussed above or read the updated device cleaning policies on Apple’s and Google’s (Pixel) website. Samsung, on the other hand, also released a guide to keep your phone clean. In addition to that, they also have an ongoing service called Galaxy Sanitizing Service where you can get your phone sanitized for free. The service is currently limited to 19 countries but they plan to expand it soon.
Closing Remarks
Our phones are always in our hands. Whether it’s after a handshake or a long run, you can’t escape touching your phone. When the phone is the most touched object, it’s better to consider cleaning your devices and surfaces before going ahead with self-isolation. Hope this was helpful. If you want to read detailed methods to clean your device, visit the websites mentioned above and don’t forget to keep your surroundings clean! Also read COVID-19 Apps to Stay Updated About the Pandemic
