The screen of your smartphone is probably disgusting. Here's how to clean it

"Mobile phones are now mobile germs," ​​Gerba said. "You have a germ on your hand and you use your phone, then you wash your hands later, but the germs are still on your phone."

On average, Americans check their phones every 12 minutes – hiding their heads 80 times a day, according to Asurion, a global technology protection company. Microorganisms have many possibilities to migrate between your fingers and your phone.

The worst culprits are teenagers, according to Gerba, whose research has revealed that people working in the foodservice sector as well as adults working with children tend to be the most contaminated.

Group of multicultural friends using a smartphone with coffee at the university university break – Hands of people addicted by smart phone – Technology concept with millennia connected and connected – Filter the image (Photo11: Getty Images)

Think of all the surfaces you touch throughout the day, from subway poles and light switches to remotes to bathroom doors. All the bacteria detected during your daily activities are found on your daily dialing devices, and chances are you do not clean them often enough.

"All cell phones will have bacteria on them because we keep them in front of us," said Susan Whittier, director of clinical microbiology at New York-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center.

"The normal bacteria transferred from the cheeks and ears do not worry, but if you cough into your phone, these viruses can live on these surfaces for hours and be passed on to others."

What is the solution?

Apple does not recommend the use of liquids or disinfectants on its devices. Instead, the iPhone manufacturer offers a detailed list on how to clean your phone based on the model you have. Motorola suggests using a microfiber cloth – the type with which you could clean your glasses – with a little water.

Regarding Google's Pixel phone, the company has agreed to use soap if necessary.

Depending on the type of phone you have, there are other ways to clean your device safely. You may need the following equipment:

1. Microfiber cloth
2. Isopropylic alcohol
3. Water
4. Q-tips
5. Cleaning gloves

Waterproof and water resistant

Waterproof phones have become a big issue recently as manufacturers want to talk about their phone's ability to survive after a dip. This category includes Google Pixel 3 XL, iPhone XS, Samsung Galaxy S9 and many more. If you have one of these new devices, here's how you can clean it:

You can make your own cleaning solution with alcohol to burn and distilled water in a vaporizer, said Gerba, professor of microbiology. The rubbing alcohol disinfects and evaporates fairly quickly.

Spray the outside of the device and wipe it off with a cotton swab.

Wear gloves or wash your hands before cleaning.

Not waterproof

You will need to be slightly more cautious when wiping a phone that does not withstand water.

Lysol announces that wipes are "safe to use on electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets and remote controls". So you can use one of them carefully to erase the screen and the back of your phone.

All smartphones

If you want to use a disinfectant, consider an option such as "PhoneSoap", a device that has attracted attention on Shark Tank on ABC.

It uses UV light to kill 99.9% of germs on your smartphone, according to its manufacturer. It costs around $ 60 and can be recovered from Amazon. A brief 10-minute pass in PhoneSoap not only cleans your phone, but also recharges it.

You can also use a standard microfiber cloth, like the one supplied with some smartphones.

Gerba said that it was probably best to disinfect your phone daily. He cleans it twice a day.