Do not use rubbing alcohol, paper towels, compressed air, dish soap or vinegar. All of these can damage your phone: Paper towels can scratch your screen, and vinegar could damage its coating. Do not use hand sanitizer on your phone screen, but do sanitize your hands before touching your phone.
And never hand sanitizing gel, which tech experts say can damage your devices. The distilled water, or water-vinegar, water-isoproply solution should always be spritzed onto a microfiber cloth, then rubbed on to the phone or laptop. Experts say make sure the cloth is damp but not wet.
Do unplug and turn off your phone first. Do use disinfectant wipes with 70% isopropyl alcohol or a similar disinfecting spray, spritzed onto a clean microfiber cloth. Do spray any cleaners onto a soft cloth, not directly onto your phone. Do wring out the wipe or cloth before using if it's too wet.
Alcohol Can Damage Your Phone
There's one more important reason why you shouldn't use alcohol or other liquid cleaning chemicals on your devices, and that's the oleophobic coating. This is the special coating on your phone's screen that prevents fingerprints, smudges, and scratches.
If no instructions are available from the manufacturer of the device, CDC suggests using alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70 percent alcohol to disinfect touch screens. You can also take steps to minimize your mobile device's exposure to germs and the coronavirus.
Most household antibacterial wipes and disinfectants are actually super abrasive and can damage or scratch your phone. Disinfecting wipes are effective at killing germs, but if they're not specifically designed to clean phones, they can corrode and remove the protective coating on the glass screen.
If you do opt for cleaning wipes, use them sparingly and make sure they're approved for use on electrical devices. If not, Turner says a little soap, water, and a cloth will do just fine. Soap and water is also the preferred method of fighting any viruses that may be stuck to your phone.
Do not ever use Clorox, Windex, or Lysol cleaning products on your electronic devices. Smartphone screens should only be cleaned with alcohol-based cleaners, such as lens cleaning wipes you would use to clean your eyeglasses. Another option would be to use a screen cleaner designed to be used on computer screens.
Some hand sanitizers have additional ingredients like perfumes that give it a scent other than alcohol gel. Those will likely leave a residue and can make your screen blurry, and they'll leave a scent on your phone. Any hand sanitizer with glitter in it will, of course, leave glitter everywhere.
Isopropyl alcohol removes oils, adhesives, fingerprints, soldering flux and other contaminants, making it ideal for cleaning electronics. However, it is important to note that only alcohol with a grade of 90% or more should be employed on circuit boards and other internal electronics.
Use a small amount of spray with 70 percent ethanol or isopropyl alcohol or use warm, soapy water to wipe down the phone from top to bottom while holding it on its sides. Then wipe down the sides and back, too, while being careful not to get any fluid into ports such as the charging port or headphone jack.
Protect your screen
Do not use window and kitchen cleaners, as they may damage the protective coating on your screen. Do not use rubbing alcohol, paper towels, compressed air, dish soap or vinegar. All of these can damage your phone: Paper towels can scratch your screen, and vinegar could damage its coating.
Update your phone's software: If your phone's software is outdated, it may be causing compatibility issues with the fingerprint settings option. Go to "Settings" > "Software update" and check for any available updates.
Can you use hand sanitizer on your phone? Hand sanitizer contains fragrances and rubbing alcohol that could harm your smartphone, so it's best to avoid using it as a phone disinfectant.
A dirty phone can certainly spread germs, cause your skin to break out, and potentially even make you sick. But as with any germ-y surface, it's simply about remembering to clean it off on a more regular basis.
Use a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth. Avoid getting moisture in openings. Don't use window cleaners, household cleaners, compressed air, aerosol sprays, solvents, ammonia, abrasives, or cleaners containing hydrogen peroxide to clean your iPhone unless following the instructions for disinfecting your iPhone.
Never use cleaners such as Windex or Lysol on an iPhone screen, as these and other products will break down the oil-resistant coating and can shorten the working life of the phone.
Cleaner app for iPhone offers the fastest and easiest way to free up iPhone device storage space by deleting similar photos, screenshots, and large video files. You can also organize your contact list by merging duplicate contacts or deleting incomplete contacts with just a few steps.
Clean up junk files on your iPhone by opening Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Open individual apps to delete downloads and data files. You can also uninstall and reinstall apps to clear your iPhone's junk files and update your apps at the same time.