Tips for Safely Sanitizing Cell Phones and Tablets, Part 2

Apr 17, 2020

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some basic tips for cleaning and sanitizing your smartphone. This practice has become a far more vital one during the recent outbreak of COVID-19 around the world, which spreads through commonly-touched surfaces – and phones are a great example of such surfaces. At Bad Apple, we’re highly cognizant of the outbreak and have temporarily closed some locations while limiting hours in others and taking major precautions for any in-person interactions while providing our high-quality phone and tablet repair services. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll go over some basic practical tips on cleaning your smartphone during this time, plus some basic behavioral areas related to your phone that you should be keeping an eye on.

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Basic Cleaning Steps and Tips

Some broad tips and general steps we can offer on properly cleaning your smartphone, tablet or other handheld device with sanitation in mind, including several recommendations directly from Apple for their products:

  • Only use soft, lint-free cloths or towels

  • Unplug any power cables or other plugs before cleaning

  • Keep liquids and moisture away from the device, particularly openings like charger ports – instead, prioritize alcohol or disinfecting wipes

  • Do not spray any cleaners directly onto the device

  • Do not use chlorine bleach, which can damage your phone

  • When cleaning, do not forget to include your phone or tablet’s case or skin, as these will be touched often

Wash Hands First

We mentioned hand-washing as a vital area in part one, and wanted to do so again here just because of how important it is within this entire realm. In particular, we recommend washing your hands before beginning the cleaning or sanitizing process of your phone – if you don’t, you might clean the entire item but still pass contagious disease to it using your hands, which were contaminated the entire time because you did not wash them after touching a previously contaminated source. And while it may not be possible or realistic to wash your hands before each usage of your cell phone, doing so whenever possible will not hurt.

Phone Sharing

One other tangential note we wanted to mention here: This is a period in time where you should be eliminating any kind of sharing or passing around of phones, even to family members or those you live with. As we deal with a highly contagious disease, limiting spread risk through decreased contact is very important, and phones you touch with your hands constantly are a great example. If you must share a video, message or any other item from your phone, simply send it to the other party via a text, email or some other virtual means.

For more on cleaning and sanitizing your smartphone or tablet, or to learn about any of our phone or other device repair services, speak to the staff at Bad Apple today.