Tips for Keeping Your Smartphone Clean

With physical distancing still going strong, we’re all using our phones to connect with each other more than ever. From video chats with colleagues, friends and family, to taking IG-worthy pictures of our homemade sourdough to recording the next viral TikTok, our phones help keep us connected.

Just as thorough hand washing and other hygienic practices have become key aspects of our daily lives, keeping our smartphones clean should also form a key part of our routines, given just how much we interact with our mobile devices.

So, how exactly can you help keep your smartphone clean? Read on for some useful tips.

Why Do You Need to Clean Your Smartphone?

According to a recent study, the average person touches their phone 2,617 times a day, amounting to more than two hours a day. As we continue to rely on telecommuting and remote communication in light of social distancing, these numbers are only set to increase.

“Our studies show us that viruses can survive on plastic or metal surfaces for up to 2 or 3 days,” highlights Dr. Doo-Ryeon Chung, Director of Center for Infection Prevention and Control at Samsung Medical Center. “In order to use your smartphone safely, it is imperative that you keep your device clean.”

Best Practice Smartphone Hygiene

The first thing to remember when looking to keep your Galaxy device clean is not to use general cleaners, compressed air sprays or disinfectant, or bleach-based products. While these might be useful in keeping communal spaces around the home tidy, these solutions can peel off or damage the oleophobic coating layer over your smartphone’s display that helps shield the screen from fingerprint smudging.

In order to keep enjoying a superb experience with your Galaxy smartphone after cleaning, be sure to fully power down your device and remove its case, cables and other accessories. Once you have done this, use a lint-free microfiber cloth to wipe down the exterior of the device.

If needed, you can use a small amount of distilled water or disinfectant, such as a hypochlorous acid-based (50-80ppm) or alcohol-based (over 70% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) product – but always apply these to your microfiber cloth, not directly to your phone, and be sure to avoid getting any liquid in your phone’s openings. Dampen your cloth and gently wipe the front and back of your device to clean it.

You can use the same methods as above on the watch face of your Galaxy Watch, once you have removed its straps. While such methods should be avoided for leather or rubber surfaces, they are suitable for glass, ceramic and metal surfaces, such as the display of your Galaxy smartphone and the watch face of your Galaxy Watch.