How to disinfect and clean your phone to help protect you against Coronavirus

Regular hand washing, use of hand sanitizers, practicing social distancing, avoid touching of the face (nose, mouth and eyes) are some of the foremost measures health experts have recommended against getting or spreading Coronavirus.

While it is one thing to stop touching your face, it is another thing to stop touching your phone to keep germs out of your fingertips.

Phones are considered "high-touch" surfaces by the America Center for Disease Control Nd Prevention and it has the potential of becoming a carrier of the Coronavirus.

Phones also spend better part of the day in our hands and we press them up against our face multiple times a day.

How do you clean your phone?

To begin with, wipe your phone with a product that has 70 percent ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, both Apple and Samsung have recommended.

Make sure to wipe the front and back of your phone gently without too much pressure.

Many people use phone case or cover, make sure to clean them as well using alcohol-based wipes.

What you should not do?

Do not dip your phone into any alcohol-based solution/substance.

Avoid using bleach or aerosol sprays to try to clean your phone. It can affect the function of the phone.

Also avoid passing your phones to people. In situations you want them to look at a photo a something on your phone, forward it to them via Whatsapp or any appropriate channel.

Why should you take these measures serious?

A study in 2017 found high level of bacterial contamination on 27 phones owned by teenagers. The study hypothesized that phones "may play a role in the spread of infectious agents in the community."