How to clean and disinfect your smartphone to prevent the spread of coronavirus?

New Delhi, Mar 09: Your smartphone might be dirtier than a toilet seat. Yes, you read it right. According to researchers, harmful pathogens like E. Coli and MRSA are capable of clinging to your phone's screen for up to four days.

While we are not aware how well the coronavirus survives on smartphones as it is yet to be tested, but, it's safe to clean it as your hands touch everything, from shopping carts, ATM to public door handles -- which could be harboring viruses and bacteria.

So what are the best ways to clean and disinfect a phone to prevent the spread of coronavirus?​

• When cleaning your phone, it's important to be gentle.
• You should turn off your phone, remove the case and unplug any headphones or power chargers
• To avoid any scratches to the screen, use micro-fibre cloth
• Using heavy chemicals might remove germs, but they might also remove any chemical coating that manufacturers use to protect the screens from fingerprints
• Using a mixture of water and rubbing alcohol is an effective method but using more than 50 per cent alcohol can also risk damaging the screen
• When swabbing the USB-C/Lightning port, do not leave any pieces inside the port

Can you wash waterproof phones?

Although smartphones, like the iPhone 7 and newer Galaxy S, can withstand submersion for up to 30 minutes in up to 3 feet of water, it's a much better idea to use microfiber cloth or cotton swabs to clean your phone.

Never dunk your phone into the solution as the water will get into the ports, which means you won't be able to charge it until they're dry.

Do NOT use these

Lysol or Clorox wipes might seem an easy way to clean but those chemicals need to stay far away from screen of your smartphone