How to keep your phone coronavirus free without damaging it – 9Honey

Leading health experts have advised us against touching our face during coronavirus, but one thing we arguably handle just as much in this modern world are our phones.

Research conducted by King University found on average, we touch our phones 2,617 times a day with smartphone users unlocking their screens as much as 150 times from the moment they wake up, to when they go to sleep.

Comparably, we're known to touch our faces as much as 23 times an hour.

And as self-isolation forces us to stare into the cellular voids that are our devices for virtual contact, these numbers are likely to increase, begging the question - do we need to clean our phones to avoid contracting COVID-19?

According to the World Health Organization, while it remains unclear how long the virus lasts on surfaces, studies suggest it may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.

Dr Amy Edwards, a specialist in infectious diseases claims to clean her phone "at least once a day" in a statement to Grow, while reminding people to be "vigilant, but calm and not to panic.

Cleaning influencer Melissa Maker even famously said "your phone is like a third hand because you're constantly touching it."

Apple expert, Emmanuel Lopez informed 9Honey, that while we may be more disciplined about washing our hands, our phone still comes into contact with multiple spaces each day.

"It's best to get into the habit of keeping your device clean during coronavirus, but also in general for the health of your device too," he said.

Like a quality morning skincare routine, phones require a gentle, but effective process to cut through the grime of daily life.

So, for the most addicted app users to the purist landline callers, here's a damage-free guide to properly cleaning your phone.

Where rubbing alcohol may cleanse kitchen messes and open wounds, much like too much alcohol exposure is terrible for our health, so too is it for your phone. The safest bet is to opt for alcohol concentrated wipes, where the mixture is fixed each time. Lopez recommends using "wipes with 70% isopropyl" and "gentle, circular wiping motions over the exterior surface," of your device.

Tapping your way through the day leaves dreaded fingerprint marks across the screen. The safest way to salvage your resolution from bodily oils is a gentle scrub with a microfiber cloth. Though smartphones are typically water resistant - to an extent - but a "firm rubbing motion" is enough to restore your screen to it's mirror-like resolution.

For phone purists, devices with buttons present a cleaning challenge most millennials have no concept of. Using toothpicks and skewers can assist in freeing the dust caught between dialling. Covering the buttons with tape can also help remove any lint or grime stuck in slim crevices.

Turns out people with a pore-perfect complexion may have another glowing face to cleanse each night before bed. Specific make up removers for phones exist, however, a gentle spritz of your own make up remover on a tissue or cotton pad works a charm too.

Conserve your hand sanitiser resources and don't use them on your phone - same goes for window cleaner, kitchen chemicals, soaps, vinegar and anything with enough bleach in it to turn your hair platinum blonde. Remember your phone is sensitive, like that last text you sent your coronavirus love.

Whatever you do, Lopez stresses "don't submerge your phone in any cleaning agents" or you may be soaking your device in rice until the pandemic is over.

There are currently 6,462 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia.

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How to keep your phone coronavirus free without damaging it - 9Honey