5 Ways to Practice Good Phone Hygiene

March 12, 2020

The spread of Coronavirus is shining the spotlight on cleanliness routines, specifically good hygiene etiquette that can keep harmful viruses and bacteria at bay. One area that consumers shouldn’t neglect is how to maintain good phone hygiene. To that end, we’ve created a list of the five ways you can practice good phone – and phone charging – hygiene:

1. Wipe down your phone

Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about phone hygiene is the actual cleanliness of your device. You’ve probably come across numerous headlines about how your phone is 10x dirtier than a toilet seat. Our smartphones, which have basically become an extension of our hands, are literally mobile germ devices, containing all kinds of bacteria and pathogens. 

Phone Hygiene

Thankfully, there are measures you can take to sanitize your phone and reduce the chance of infection. You should first check your specific device manufacturer’s website for their cleaning recommendations but it’s safe to say that most smartphones now can handle a gentle wipe down with a disinfecting wipe. 

On the Apple website, they recommend using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or a disinfecting wipe like the ones sold by Clorox. Bleach is to be avoided, as is submerging your phone in any kind of cleaning agent. And be sure to avoid getting your charging ports wet!

There are also plenty of phone cleaning kits available on Amazon as well as UV light sanitizing devices like the ones sold by PhoneSoap. PhoneSoap is basically a 360-degree cleaning box for your phone, containing two powerful UV-C light bulbs that break down the DNA of bacteria – in ten minutes! – so it can no longer function or reproduce. 

PhoneSoap UV Sanitizer

How often should you wipe down your phone? Daily is a good start. However, during a critical time like today with the spread of Coronavirus, you should use your best judgement on how often your phone has been in contact with potentially dirty surfaces since your last wipe down.

2. Don’t charge your phone at unsafe public charging stations

While ChargeItSpot is the most trusted charging solution, you should definitely avoid public charging stations that may put you in danger of juice jacking. Unsafe charging stations include those standalone units that have the charging cords dangling out in the open as well as any other kiosk that may require a credit card swipe. 

Public Phone Charging Unsafe

At ChargeItSpot, we’ve nullified the threat of juice jacking thanks to our patented OptiCharge® technology which delivers the most efficient charge to every device and restricts any data transfer (aka ‘juice jacking’) through its one-directional charge (through power only). Furthermore, our USB ports are secured behind steel housing, inaccessible to any form of tampering. Our charging kiosks are also more like ATM machines with individual lockers that store away your phone safely so you can shop while it charges. 

You can click here to read more about why our phone charging stations are the safest on the market.

3. Make sure your charging port is debris-free

Dirty or clogged charging ports is one of the main reasons why your iPhone won’t charge. When dust, lint or other forms of debris accumulate over time in your phone’s charging port, it can prevent the charging connections from working properly. So besides keeping the ports liquid-free, it’s important to (gently!) remove any visible debris with a toothpick or paper clip. 

If you want to be extra thorough, you can grab a can of compressed air to blow out any smaller particles. 

However, while many people swear by compressed air, Apple’s website warns against their use so your safest option may be to simply take your iPhone to the nearest Apple store and ask the staff for a quick clean-up! 

4. Monitor your phone battery health

Prevention is key for health, and that includes our phone health. With the phone battery being the primary component that tends to deteriorate over time, causing people to upgrade their phone (or replace their battery), it’s important to keep an eye on your phone’s battery health.

With the iPhone, checking your battery health is easy to do thanks to a new feature called – wait for it – Battery Health launched at the beginning of 2018. Simply click on your Settings icon, scroll down to where it says Battery, and then tap Battery Health which reveals your battery health’s “Maximum Capacity” score, a percentage score that indicates your phone battery’s capacity relative to when it was new. 

iPhone Battery Health

If your score is less than 80%, your battery is considered worn and you should either look into a replacement, a phone upgrade, or other fixes to slow down its deterioration. 

5. Avoid bad habits that are ruining your phone!

We’ve accumulated a lot of bad habits that ruin our phones, especially its battery. Here are some of the phone health violations we’re guilty of committing: charging our phones overnight (just stop); draining our batteries till the phone dies; buying cheap, uncertified charging cables; downloading too many battery-draining apps; using our phones in extreme cold and heat; opening suspicious links; and perhaps most bafflingly stupid of all: not buying a phone case.

iPhone Charge Overnight

Maintaining proper phone hygiene etiquette is essential to the long-term health of both yourself and your phone. Keeping the five tips mentioned above in mind will go a long way in keeping viruses and bacteria at bay!