Did you know that mobile phones are dirtier than public restrooms? As a matter of fact, a recently conducted study showed that the average mobile phone had 1,479 bacteria spots whereas a toilet seat only shows 220 spots. This is why it is so important to make sure that your iPhone stays clean at all times. While you can always do this by washing your hands before and after using your device, it is not always the best practice. And when it comes to cleaning your iPhone, soap and water is definitely not the right solution. In fact, it may even do damage to your device.
So how do you really clean your iPhone? What type of products can you use that won’t harm your device?
A Word of Caution
Before you attempt to clean your iPhone, you have to make sure that you have disconnected it from its charger or removed it from the charging pad. It is also a good idea to switch off the device so you can see just how dirty its screen is. This will also make sure that you don’t accidentally open an app or call someone while you’re trying to clean the screen.
With that out of the way, you’ll be ready to start cleaning your iPhone’s screen. Here are some of the things you should use:
Microfiber Cloth
Originally made for eyeglasses, a microfiber cloth is a handy tool for cleaning your iPhone’s screen. The good thing about this is that you can easily find them just about anywhere.
It’s important that you use a microfiber cloth so that you don’t accidentally cause any scratches or damages to your iPhone’s screen. That said, you should avoid using towels, paper towels, abrasive cloths, or other similar items since they could damage your device.
When you’re using a microfiber cloth, make sure to gently move it in a vertical or horizontal direction repeatedly. If there is tough dirt or a sticky spot, you can dampen a portion of the microfiber cloth with water and move it gently until the dirt is gone. Once that’s done, you can use a dry corner of the cloth to get rid of excess moisture.
Distilled Water + White Vinegar or Rubbing Alcohol
If you want to make sure that oily fingerprints and sticky residues are completely gone from your iPhone’s screen, water alone might not be enough to get rid of it. In this case, you can use a cleaning solution made from water and white vinegar. Remember to use distilled water so that the impurities won’t scratch your screen.
You can mix 50% distilled water and 50% white vinegar in a spray bottle. If you will be using 70% isopropyl alcohol instead of white vinegar, use a one-to-one ratio. Remember to give the bottle a good shake so that the contents are mixed properly. You need to make sure that you thoroughly dilute the vinegar or rubbing alcohol so that they do not cause damage to the coating on your screen. If you have a screen protector, a strong concentration of vinegar or alcohol could even damage it.
Commercial Phone Screen Cleaner
There are also some products available in the market that you can use to clean your iPhone screen easily. You won’t need to make your own alcohol and distilled water solution since you can just buy these products. Unfortunately, they do cost a lot more compared to making the solution at home.
Pre-Moistened Screen Cleaning Cloths
Another option you can use to clean your iPhone screen comes in the form of pre-moistened phone screen cleaning cloths. These things are pretty handy and you can use them to clean your device when you are on the go. You don’t have to bring around a microfiber cloth or even a spray bottle just so you can keep your phone screen clean.
Just make sure that when you opt for this item, you have to look for a product that contains zero or low alcohol. This way, you can keep your screen safe from potential damages.
Sticky Tape
It’s also possible for you to use sticky tape when you want to get rid of simple dust and dirt from your iPhone’s screen. This is a quick way you can clean your screen without the need to use a microfiber cloth or a pre-moistened screen cleaning cloth.
Just repeatedly stick the tape onto the dirty surface and gently peel it off. This way, you can get rid of dirt and grime from your phone.
UV Sanitizer
If you really want to make sure that your iPhone screen is clean, you can use an ultraviolet (UV) sanitizer. This option, however, could be costly since you will need to purchase the UV sanitizer. But if you are really grossed out with how dirty your iPhone screen is, you can invest in a device like this since it is capable of killing over 99.99% of germs. There are even some models that are capable of wirelessly charging your phone or a built-in audio amplifier.
What You Should NOT Use to Clean Your iPhone Screen
The above-mentioned items are the options that are safe for you to use to clean your iPhone’s screen. These ones, however, are not a good option to use and you should never attempt to clean your iPhone’s screen with these products:
- Household cleaners
- Window cleaners
- Dish soap
- Aerosol spray cleaners
- Harsh solvents
- Bleach
- Undiluted alcohol-based liquids
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Abrasive powders
- Ammonia
When you use these harsh cleaners, you could actually be doing more damage to your phone. So make sure that you steer clear from them at all costs.
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