What the Tech? How to Spring Clean Your Devices

You’ve no doubt heard something like, your smartphone has 10-times more germs than a public toilet.

Thankfully smartphones aren’t as difficult to clean and disinfect as they used to be. Apple and Samsung now both say you can clean them safely, using an everyday cleaner like a Clorox wipe.

A micro-fiber cloth is a dirty smartphone’s best friend. According to Apple, you can use a soft cloth and a little bit of alcohol and water to safely clean and even disinfect an iPhone.

Mix a solution of equal amounts of water and 70% isopropyl alcohol and dip the cloth into it. Then,
even on the glass, wipe it down front and back. I like using a second dry microfiber cloth to dry it off to prevent streaks.

You can also pick up a solution made just for electronics like “Whoosh” which not only cleans the device but leaves behind a film to keep it from attracting germs.

Woosh comes with a micro-fiber cloth for about $10. and it lasts a long time. I think it’s better than the disposable lens cleaners made for glasses but you can use those too.

You can use it on desktop and laptop monitors as well.

Computer keyboards are terribly dirty. To clean one, turn off the computer, and turn the keyboard upside down. Shake the gunk loose. Grab a can of compressed air and blow what you can out of it. Don’t put the nozzle too close or the keys could come loose.

A soft toothbrush can knock some of the gunk loose.

These cleaning putties can get inside the grooves. What’s left will stick to the putty. These are under $10.

A Q-tip with the cleaning solution can help remove any dust that’s turned to grime.

Gross.

Some mechanical keyboards have removable keypads to make cleaning easier. But if in doubt, don’t pull them off, you may not be able to get them attached again.

It’s amazing how dirty our devices get after a few months.

It isn’t a terrible idea to have a dust cloth and dust spray nearby to clean up all the gunk that’s sure to come out of your keyboard.

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