When was the last time you properly sanitized your Mobile phone?
As coronavirus continues to spread like wildfire across the globe including African countries more specific Kenya has not been spared from the pandemic. Right now more than ever we’ve grown more vigilant of our surroundings and our personal hygiene trying to stay safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Hand hygiene is one of the most emphasized ways of preventing the spread of coronavirus but what’s the point of religiously washing our hands when you know that you will most certainly end up touching dirty contaminated surfaces like your smartphones?
Studies have shown that mobile phones are vehicles of transmitting disease-causing bacteria/ virus everything from flue causing virus to e. Coli can thrive on your smartphone’s glass screen. COVID-19, meanwhile, can survive on surfaces for anywhere from a few hours to over a week, depending on conditions. Lucky for us Kenyans as Simu ya jamii is a thing in the past.
While there are various methods of cleaning your smartphones like buying screen cleaning spray to more sophisticated approaches like getting those cool uv phone sanitizers which in my opinion is a rip off why not make your own home make sanitizers on a budget?
Here’s how you can make your own, equally effective screen-cleaning solution at home in large quantities, Keep one on your desk, one at home, and on the go– and never overspend on glorified water again.
Making this screen-cleaning spray couldn’t be easier. Simply combine one part alcohol and one part distilled water in the spray bottle. Cap it, give it a quick shake, and it’s ready for use.
Spray this solution on a clean microfiber cloth then gently wipe the exterior surface of your phone and avoid getting moisture in any openings, and don’t submerge your phone in any cleaning agents. To prevent any mix-ups, properly label the bottle.
Note:
Please consult your product manual before using this homemade spray. Some manufacturers advise against using alcohol on their products, due to oleophobic coatings. If that’s the case, only use distilled water, or reserve the alcohol-water spray for removing stubborn dirt. Though excess use of alcohol-based cleaning sprays on oleophobic screens may remove their coatings, occasional is certainly acceptable.
Could cleaning products still damage your phone, even with approval from the manufacturer? Yes, but only if you’re obsessively scrubbing your screen with them so, remember to chill out with all that wiping. I would recommend using a microfiber cloth which will come in handy in preventing scratches.
Dr. Donald Schaffner says the chance of catching a virus-like COVID-19 from your phone is minimal compared to the risk of being near someone who is already infected with the disease. But it can’t hurt to keep your phone clean, he says. “If you’ve got a hundred [bacteria] on your finger and you stuck your finger in your nose, you’re probably going to be pretty efficient at transferring those hundred organisms you’ve got on your finger into your nose.”
Experts say that keeping your phone clean won’t matter much if you’re not practicing good hygiene in other ways. So remember to wash your hands regularly, don’t touch your face, and so on.
