How To Properly Clean Your Phone In The Age Of Coronavirus

Beware of your cell phone.

Washing your hands and avoiding touching your face have been repeated guidelines throughout the last few weeks, but what about making sure to keep your phone disinfected?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes a cell phone as a "high-touch surface," which could make it a carrier of the virus. The CDC specifically recommends using cleaning spray or wipes to clean and disinfect frequently touched items — which, for most people, includes phones.

If you have an iPhone, Apple gives the following guidance on how to best clean your phone:

• Use only a soft, lint-free cloth. Avoid abrasive cloths, towels, paper towels or similar items.
• Avoid excessive wiping, which might cause damage.
• Unplug all external power sources, devices and cables.
• Keep liquids away from the product, unless otherwise noted for specific products.
• Don't get moisture into the openings.
• Don't use aerosol sprays, bleaches or abrasives.
• Don't spray cleaner directly onto the item.

Additionally, Apple recently added new language to its page for cleaning products, giving the thumbs-ups to use disinfecting wipes on phones.

"Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, nonporous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces," Apple said.

Samsung also provides a page dedicated to tips for cleaning an Android device. The cellphone provider suggests using a dampened cloth with a small amount of clean water to gently wipe the phone with the cloth going up and down the screen.

Samsung recommends against using Windex or any other window cleaning solutions with strong chemicals as it might damage the phone.

Because researchers still are learning about the new coronavirus, the CDC does not know exactly how long the virus can cling to a surface. However, the government health organization's current language states that the coronavirus "may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials."

As of midday Tuesday, there were more than 5,100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins.