Your smartphone screen needs frequent cleaning — and no, there’s not an app for that
Great. Just what we DON’T need…a modern way to get sick!
Fortunately, prevention is fairly simple.
The culprit is the smartphone. ANY smartphone. When you place your device against your face to make a call, you become intimate with a wide variety of pathogens.
They range from B (bacteria) to V (viruses).
I’ll put it this way. Would you feel comfortable brushing your cheek against a toilet handle in a public restroom?
No? Then you’ll probably want to clean your smartphone daily.
You might be thinking (like I was) that you’re the only one that uses your phone. So it’s nothing like toilet handle. Actually, your hands pick up untold numbers of pathogens every hour. And those bugs can thrive on your nice warm smartphone screen.
But this produces another problem. How do you clean effectively without harming the screen?
The companies that make these advanced gadgets haven’t really explored cleaning options. Aerosols and liquid cleaners are discouraged. But most device makers don’t offer any recommendations.
According to a Wall St. Journal report, an alcohol wipe will kill most pathogens without harming most (not all) screens.
If you test a small corner of your screen and the wipe does no harm, then the key is diligence. You have to clean that screen. Frequently. Especially during flu season. And even more so if you ever share your phone.
Just what we need…a smart phone with even smarter bugs.
Sources:
“Calling All Germs” Caroline Porter, The Wall St. Journal, 10/23/12, online.wsj.com
