Everyone must learn how to live with COVID-19 until a vaccine is found. This includes practising social distancing and good hygiene. Apart from washing your hands with soap and water regularly, it is also important to keep our most personal devices clean and this includes our smartphones and smartwatches.
According to a study by Deloitte, an average person in the US picks up their phone 52 times a day. This isn’t surprising as we rely on our smartphones for almost everything including communications, entertainment, payment and digital services.
Dr. Doo-Ryeon Chung, the Director of Center for Infection Prevention and Control at Samsung Medical Center has said that studies have also shown that viruses can survive on plastic and metal surfaces for up to 2 or 3 days. He added that in order for you to use your smartphone safely, it is imperative that you keep your device clean.
How to clean your smartphone?
To clean your Samsung device, you should avoid using general cleaners, compressed air sprays or disinfectant and bleach-based products. Although it is easily accessible at home, they warn that these solutions may peel off or cause damage to the oleophobic coating layer on the glass which helps to prevent fingerprint smudging.
To clean your Galaxy smartphone, they recommend powering down the device first. If you’re using a case, you must take it off as well. Next, you can use a lint-free microfibre cloth to wipe the exterior of the device.
To disinfect the device, they recommend using a small amount of distilled water or disinfectant such as hypochlorous acid-based (50-80ppm) or alcohol-based (over 70% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) product. You must apply these solutions onto to the microfibre cloth and not directly onto the device. While wiping, you must avoid getting any liquid into the phone’s openings, and this may include the speaker grill and charging ports. With a cloth damped with disinfectant, you may gently wipe the front and back of the device.
The same cleaning instructions are also applicable to clean your Galaxy Watch and it is recommended to detach the straps first. Samsung warns that the disinfection methods are only suitable for glass, ceramic and metal surfaces and it isn’t recommended for leather and rubber materials.
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