How to clean a mobile phone

Our mobile expert says...

People carry their mobile phones everywhere nowadays, so it’s little surprise that they become covered with dirt, grime and germs.

In fact, scientific research has shown that many mobile phones harbour dangerous germs, some related to faecal matter and salmonella, able to cause stomach upsets or worse.

Regularly cleaning your mobile phone keeps bugs at bay. What’s more, cleaning a mobile phone is very easy and takes just a few minutes.

Mobile phone cleaning kit

To thoroughly clean a mobile phone you will need:

1. A pair of disposable gloves
2. Rubbing alcohol or fairly dry alcohol wipes (the type used to clean computer screens)
3. A handful of cotton tips
4. A soft long-bristled brush
5. A duster or soft cloth.

How to clean a mobile phone

Put your gloves on - phones can carry all sorts of nasty bacteria.

Start by gently brushing your phone down with the soft long-bristled brush. This will remove any bits of grit that could scratch your phone’s screen and case as you clean it.

Take a cotton tip and gently rub over and around your phone’s speaker, charger port and any other areas where dirt and grit could be lurking (such as the USB port).

Be very careful when doing this - you don’t want to damage the phone by using too much pressure. If dirt is still lodged in phone crevices then try giving it a good blow.

Pay special attention to the phone’s keypad, if it has one. Dirt can easily get lodged between the keys, so press each key down and wipe around it with a cotton tip.

Next take a screen wipe and rub the phone down from top to bottom several times. Use fresh wipes for the front, back and sides of the phone to prevent germs spreading.

Galaxy S2(black) £29.00	500 min 5000 texts	£25.00
Galaxy Europa i5500(black) £0.00	300 min 5000 texts	£13.00
Desire S(black) £0.00	500 min 5000 texts	£20.00
Galaxy S3(white) £0.00	1000 min 5000 texts	£37.00
Galaxy S3(blue) £0.00	1000 min 5000 texts	£37.00

Alcohol in the wipes should kill off any germs lurking on your phone. The damp wipes will also help eradicate greasy fingerprints from your phone’s screen.

Finally, use a duster or soft cloth to rub the phone all over. This will remove any alcohol wipe residue and make your phone sparkle with cleanliness.

Remember to clean your phone at least once each week to keep potentially harmful germs at bay and to keep the phone pristine.