Washing your hands is not enough when there are plenty of germs on your phone screen. Here is how you can disinfect your phone and stay safe from coronavirus.

Welcome to the world of coronavirus, where a person sneezing in one corner of the office can send you in a tizzy. And why not? Since the news of COVID-19 infection first hit the headlines in late December in Wuhan, China—more than 1,50,000 cases have been reported that have resulted in over 3,000 casualties.

The highly contagious nature of the novel coronavirus is what is making the situation so volatile, so much so that it has sparked a shortage of masks and hand sanitizers. But while we are paying close attention to personal hygiene and indulging in social distancing, here’s another thing that needs to be done: regular sanitization of our environment and its many surfaces. Starting with your mobile phone.

Your mobile screen is the breeding ground of bacteria
You might be trying very hard not to touch your face, but you are still constantly touching your phone screen which often finds a place rest on your cheeks. The result? Transfer of bacteria and germs from your phone to your face.

Given the fact that coronaviruses can survive upto three days on plastic and steel surfaces (some studies peg this number as upto nine days), sanitizing your phone becomes paramount.

While you can wash your hands over and over again with soap and use a hand sanitizer, unfortunately the same protocol doesn’t apply to your precious smartphone—lest you want to permanently wound that expensive electronic.

So, how can you effectively sanitize your phone screen?
For starters, put down that disinfectant spray because spritzing it on your phone is just going to ruin your device.

The CDC recommends using a disinfectant with 70% alcohol for optimum results. To that end, you can opt for your disinfectant wipes with alcohol in that quantity to get the job done.

Now, if you can’t find them wipes at the pharmacy—you can rely on your regular Joe alcohol-based disinfectant spray, but with a caveat. Spray it generously on a paper towel and it to clean your screen—ensure that the liquid stays on the surface and doesn’t seep in. You can follow this up with a microfiber cloth to remove any residue. But ensure that you wash the cloth immediately after so as to ensure that germs on it are taken care of.

This is also the time to go hands-free
We’re hoping that by now you have memorized the memo that calls for washing your hands often and using hand sanitizer in a bid to prevent an infection. So, if you’re practicing these golden rules, it is also time to use your headphone to make and receive calls.

This way you can minimize the contact between your face and phone—while the regular phone screen sanitization and hand washing can reduce the transfer of germs. After all folks, it’s better safe than sorry.