As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) begins to have an increased impact on our communities, the health and safety of our customers is always our top priority. As we are doing our part to stay safe, we want to make sure that our customers are doing the same! You have heard many times about the importance of washing your hands, not touching your face, and practicing social distancing. There is also another potential risk factor that we that you need to keep in mind during this time, and that is your phone.
With our phones constantly being in our hands, it’s one of the easiest places for us to transfer germs from the objects that we touch daily. Constantly touching your phone and touching your phone to your face is a very easy way to spread germs. According to Hadas Gold of CNN, “Our phones can be hotbeds of bacteria, effectively a petri dish in our pockets.” To avoid the spreading of these potentially harmful germs, it is best that you get in the habit of sanitizing your phone.
The good news is that it is now a lot easier to disinfect your phone! In the past, we were told that we should not use disinfecting wipes to clean our phones. However, now Apple is saying that it is safe to sanitize your phone. This should be done by using either a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox/Lysol Disinfecting Wipes. It is also recommended that you use a nonabrasive or alcohol-based (70% isopropyl) disinfectant spray if you do not have disinfectant wipes.
It is important that we mention that you do not use pure alcohol to clean your phone. Reason being that alcohol can strip the oleophobic and hydrophobic coatings that keep oil and water from damaging your display and other ports on your phone. Your safest bet is to stick to using disinfectant wipes that contain 70% isopropyl alcohol to sanitize your phone.
Before you begin to sanitize your phone, it is important that you remove your phone case and make sure that your phone is unplugged and powered off. Next, gently wipe down the exterior of your phone with a clean microfiber cloth. This will help to physically remove the germs from the surface.
Using either a using either a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox or Lysol Disinfecting Wipe gently wipe down your phone down trying to avoid any sort of open ports, such as the charging port or headphone jack. If you feel as though the disinfecting wipe is too wet, make sure to wring out any excessive moisture before wiping down your phone.
Once you have completely wiped down your phone, make sure you wipe off any extra moisture. This can be done by either using a paper towel or a clean microfiber cloth. Lastly, you will need to repeat the same process with your phone case to make sure that all surfaces are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Another option for sanitizing your phone, is to use an Ultraviolet sterilization device. These devices can help to sanitize your phone in as little as 10 minutes. Although these devices can sanitize your phone, it has not been determined how effective they are against the coronavirus.
It is imperative that we do all that we can to protect ourselves, our families and our communities. On behalf of the Fifth & Ninth team, we thank you for being a part of our family and we want you to know that we are in this together!
With love,
Fifth & Ninth