How to Clean and Disinfect Your Cell Phone

4 Materials
$5
30 Minutes
Easy

I hate to break it to you, but your phone is filthy. Your smartphone is one of the dirtiest things you come into contact with daily-and you put it right up to your face!

Think of all the surfaces that you rest your phone on like counter tops, tables and random public places (and lets not mention all the people who use their phone while they use the bathroom!)

Cell phones can harbor harmful bacterial like E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus, among other icky germs. And those germs can live on hard surfaces like your phone for up to 9 days.

What’s the point in constantly washing your hands and practicing good hygiene habits if your phone is filthy?

Watch this video to learn how to clean your phone


Follow the instructions in this video to learn how to clean your smartphone.

Remove the phone case


Remove the phone case and power it off. Take the case and place it in a bowl of water with 1/4 bleach plus 2 tablespoons of bleach. Let it sit for 12 minutes to kill germs and then rinse with water. Let dry completely before putting the phone back in the case. Don't use bleach on your actual phone.

Wipe off phone with a soft cloth


Remove and debris or crumbs with a microfiber cloth.

Wipe down with a disinfectant wipe


Use a Lysol or Clorox wipe to wipe down the entire surface of the phone. If you don't have disinfectant wipes you can use vinegar, rubbing alcohol. grain alcohol like Everclear or hydrogen peroxide.

Use a Q-tip to clean the buttons


Dip a q tip in the cleaning solution or wet it with one of the disinfectant wipes and rub it gently on the buttons.

Buff it out with cloth


Let the phone completely dry and then buff out any streaks with a microfiber cloth.

Put the case back on


You phone is now clean and disinfected. Make sure it's completely dry before turning it back on.

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Adrienne Carrie Hubbard | Crafty Little Gnome
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 7 questions
  • Lisa Fyock Lisa Fyock on Apr 05, 2020

    Hello, where I live at" NO STORES HAVE ANY DISINFECTING WIPES!!!!" (SOLD OUT) What else can you use too wipe down your Phone?

  • Karen Karen on Apr 16, 2020

    You didn’t indicate how much bleach...only 1/4....is that 1/4 cup or teaspoon or tablespoon?????

  • Sam Sam on Apr 28, 2020

    If you have a screen protector over the glass face of the phone, are the disinfective ingreduents safe? I found out the hard way on my glasses that rubbing alcohol ruined the non glare finish!

Comments
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2 of 9 comments
  • Sam Sam on Apr 28, 2020

    Good advice! I've been doing just soap and water on the face of the phone: concerned about the glass protective cover.

  • Marita Gehret Marita Gehret on Feb 14, 2021

    I like Pledge antibacterial cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth

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