Washing your hands is believed to be one of the most effective ways to eliminate bacteria that could directly get into your body and harm your body’s natural defenses. Based on the study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, your smartphone is considered to be one of the “high-touch” surfaces that people touch most of the time. It could be a carrier of microbes if not cleaned properly. Washing your hands is very important, but is your phone clean and bacteria-free?

Scientists conducted a set of tests and found out that bacteria could stay in surfaces like plastics and steels for 48 to 72 hours. Bacteria could be easily transferred to the phone if someone’s hand is dirty. It is essential to cleanse your phone as well so the bacteria won’t proliferate. So how do you clean your phone without compromising its function?

Don’t spray aerosol straight to the phone. Don’t soak the phone in bleach. Don’t let moisture get into your phone if you still want it to work properly. You can clean your phone by using wipes with 70% alcohol or use a soft cloth rise with washing powder and warm water to wipe the camera lenses of your phone.

Before anything else, turn off your phone and don’t charge it while cleaning. Wear disposable gloves and clean the phone case, too! Lastly, wash your hands again with cleansing soap and water. If you follow these simple steps, not only is your phone safe from germs, but also yourself.