With the recent outbreaks of Covid-19, a lot of things have changed in our life. Some things we were taking for granted, such as our phones, or our ability to go outside have become a source of uncertainty. Now, it’s time to take a closer look at what that means, and how it can be fixed.
Today, we’ll be looking at what substances, tools and tips you need to know to make cleaning your phone a breeze – inside and out! Following these tips will help protect it both from the novel coronavirus, as well as more mundane threats, such as dirt and dust. Let’s get right into it!
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Exterior
The average person touches their phone screen around 2600 times a day. Not considering your screen's hygiene will land you in hot water, regardless of how often you wash your hands.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Make sure the smartphone is powered down
- Take it out of the case or cover
- Use a lint-free microfiber cloth to wipe off the surface
- Always keep liquids away
- Use alcohol wipes to wipe any hard surfaces
- Avoid things like household cleaners, sprays, compressed air, bleach and so on.
Moisture is a phone-killer. Repeat the process for any covers you use for your phone. It’s recommended you incorporate this short routine daily.
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Inside
Before you go in to clean the insides of the phone, especially for the first time, it is strongly recommended to consider backing up your data. Even seasoned professionals make it part of the routine since it doesn’t cost much time and can save you a lot of headaches later.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 99% alcohol
- Plastic brush
- Anti-static cloth
- Q-tips
Before continuing, make sure your phone is powered off and the battery is out. This will prevent any unnecessary damage.
Soak a bit of your anti-static cloth into the alcohol and use it to gently apply it to the insides of your phone. Use blotting motions, instead of scrubbing. Use the plastic brush to guide the cloth and apply where you need to. Wipe in exceedingly small intervals and keep a light touch for the duration of the process.
Focus on cleaning the following components using Q-tips, as they tend to be a place of dust-buildup:
- Home button area
- Battery location
- Camera lens, using clockwise motions
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Ports
It’s especially important to pay attention to the ports. Given that they bridge your phone’s internal workings with the external world, it’s inevitable that they’ll get very messy. Here’s what you’ll need for this part of the process:
- Compressed air
- Toothpick
- Small Q-tip
To clean out any debris that may have piled up with time, you can use any of these tools for removal. The compressed air method is the simplest, but it comes with a warning not to use it on Apple devices, as the ports are too fragile on the inside. Hold the compressed air straw to the side of the charging port and blow air in by using short bursts.
Keep in mind that using the air compressor for longer than 2 seconds could potentially damage the internal workings of the phone. If you’d rather be more careful, you can use a small Q-tip to wipe away any excess dirt. Not enough? Sometimes, if the debris is refusing to come off, a toothpick applied well can be just what you need. Scrape it off lightly and be careful, however, as you may damage the port itself if you push too hard.
That was it for this guide. Make sure to tune in next time for another exciting instalment of smartphone tips and tricks.