It is a paradox: We wash our hands extensively several times a day, only to then immediately pick up our smartphone that is contaminated with bacteria and viruses. A certain level of hygiene would be important when using the smartphone, especially during the impending loosening of the lockdown.
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We touch no device as often as the smartphone, our constant companion in everyday life. For many people, getting up after getting up is like using a cell phone, it accompanies us both when shopping and when brushing teeth just before going to bed. According to a survey by the federal government, adolescents pick up the smartphone on average 30 times a day, while adults take the device out about 15 times a day.
And that can be a health risk in Corona times: Because pathogens can stick to your smartphone. However, recommendations regarding cell phone cleaning are not very prominently represented among the measures to combat the corona virus.
It can make sense to clean your smartphone from time to time. This also applies regardless of Covid-19. However, it would be especially important during the upcoming loosening of the lockdown to prevent new infections. We explain in our overview how to clean your mobile phone without damaging it.
As a rule, Covid-19 is transmitted by droplet infection. If a person coughs or sneezes, the corona viruses can escape into the environment in small droplets from the throat. However, it has been observed in the past that pathogens from the corona virus family can also survive on surfaces and can be passed on by smear infection.
The smartphone is our constant companion in everyday life. But while we wash our hands several times a day, we rarely clean the cell phone.
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These findings can also be transferred to Sars-CoV-2. As American researchers have found, the virus can still be detected on surfaces made of plastic or stainless steel after 72 hours. The researchers concluded that transmission through contact with contaminated surfaces is quite plausible.
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recommends regular and thorough cleaning of household appliances, cell phones and other everyday objects that could be contaminated by viruses and are frequently touched. Ordinary cleaning agents are completely sufficient for this.
The smartphone is a hoard of germs. A 2017 study by researchers from the University of Tartu, Estonia, found more than 17,000 bacterial gene copies on student cell phones, while scientists from the University of Arizona found that smartphones have ten times as many bacteria as toilet seats.
The surface of smartphones can possibly be considered as a source of infection, but the risk is not particularly great. Since the handling of mobile phones is usually a very personal one, the germs come from the hand of the smartphone owner himself. If you wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, you are on the safe side.
However, the risk increases if cell phones are shared or if the device is used by a sick person who has previously sneezed. It is also recommended not to use the smartphone on the toilet.
So it can make sense to clean your smartphone from time to time. So that the cell phone is not damaged, there are a few things to consider.
- Switch off the smartphone and remove all cables or any protective cover.
- Moisten a microfiber cloth with 70 percent ethanol. This is available, for example, in drugstores, also online. Alternatively, do some liquid soap and water.
- Wipe the surfaces of the smartphone gently with the damp cloth. Make sure that no moisture gets into the openings.
- Dry the smartphone with a dry and clean microfiber cloth.
- If a protective cover is used, it should also be cleaned.
Under no circumstances should you spray or apply soap or other cleaning agents directly to your smartphone. This could damage the coating on the screen, which is water-repellent and treated to prevent fingerprints.
In the wake of the Corona crisis, the major smartphone manufacturers have adapted their recommendations for cleaning the devices. According to Apple, it is harmless to wipe an iPhone with a cloth with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol or Clorox disinfectant wipes. Samsung has also adjusted the cleaning recommendations for its smartphones accordingly.
It should be noted that as soon as you pick up the smartphone again, germs can be transferred to it again – and vice versa. It is therefore important to wash your hands regularly and thoroughly and to sneeze or cough in a handkerchief or in the crook of your arm.
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