How to clean your gadgets properly to get rid of germs

The recent developments of the coronavirus or the COVID-19 have got everyone thinking about what could possibly make us get infected. And hence without being known exactly, there are scares everywhere that it can be transmitted via this and that. All those WhatsApp forwards that you have been getting are not to be trusted. After getting to know about the genuine details about the COVID-19 and other such viruses, one more detail everyone is stressing on is about how to clean your gadgets such as mobile phones and more.

Studies and information from various doctors suggest that the gadgets that we use daily have an equal chance of carrying as many germs as a normal surface in our home would or more. It is obvious because you cannot count the number of times you hold your phone in your hands a day. Although cleaning your hands frequently might help, as soon as you hold your gadget again, you are prone to harm’s way.

From what we know from the CDC, the transmission of the COVID-19 virus from any kind of surfaces has not been certified yet, but the CDC does suggest cleaning surfaces that you frequently touch as the virus can live somewhere ranging between hours to several days on few surfaces. Also, a study from Medrxiv also shows that the COVID-19 can live up to a range of three days on plastic and steel surfaces. This brings us to know the proper way of cleaning your gadgets.

How to clean your daily gadgets

Cleaning gadgets, to start with your phone is an easy task. Starting off by wiping your phone with a microfibre cloth and then deciding the way to clean further is the initial step. Various smartphone makers have various restrictions on cleaning the right way. Again, it is because of the coronavirus having fatty, not just wiping your phone but cleaning it with soap and water or alcohol liquid will destroy this layer.

Now, various smartphone makers suggest different ways such as Apple is fine with cleaning your iPhone 11 series set of handsets with soapy and warm water whereas Samsung is not okay with cleaning your handsets with soap water. In this case, disinfecting wipes will be helpful to clean your handset without affecting the functionality. But, you will have to be careful not to let any moisture get inside the gadget in any case.

In case of other gadgets such as laptops, it is recommended to follow the same where you can first wipe them off with microfiber material and then use any disinfectant wipe to clean furtherly. Just make sure not to get any of the moisture inside.

All the cleaning is fine, but how often should you clean? Doctors suggest that disinfecting your daily-use gadgets every day will be the best case considering that the average person will use their phone in the bathroom as well as at the dining table. Also, it is suggested to wash your hands before and after the usage to be extremely careful including when sharing your gadgets with your friends and family.

Source: engadget