Let’s face it: Your smartphone screen is a teeming cauldron of germs, and you don’t clean it nearly as often as you should. Despite the fact the small screen is easy to clean, and that disinfecting the device you constantly hold in your hand can take less than a minute, this minor chore is often overlooked. After all, these are your own hands gripping your own smartphone, so how bad could it be?
Bad. Very bad. Nasty germs — including those causing the coronavirus — can last as long as nine days sitting comfortably on your smartphone’s glass, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection. Here are some of the most highly rated microfiber cloths available to help you disinfect your smartphone while protecting it from harm.
How to clean your phone safely
Keeping your phone clean is one thing, but your expensive handset is delicate, so you want to clean it safely and without damaging the glass. Make sure to clean your phone if it touches ink, dye, makeup, dirt, food, oils, or lotions. First, turn off your phone and unplug all cables. Then, with a soft, damp, lint-free cloth, wipe the surface down. Do not use commercial household cleaners or abrasive materials like rubbing alcohol or disinfectants, as they will damage any coatings built into the glass.
The best way to safely clean your electronics is with a slightly moistened microfiber cloth. Microfiber cleaning cloths are soft, washable, reusable, and especially effective in cleaning hard surfaces like your smartphone and oleophobic (oil repellent) iPhone screens. The cloths can be used both damp or dry and with or without a mild specialty cleaning solution made for electronic screens.
Now, on to the clothes themselves.
Whoosh! Screen Cleaner Kit
Whoosh! offers a full cleaner kit with a screen planer spray that’s designed for smartphones and other electronics — not exactly necessary, but very handy for a full cleaning and totally odorless (including no ammonia or alcohol). The box also contains two high-quality 6 x 6-inch clothes with hemmed borders for greater durability, and they’re designed to be machine washed up to 50 times to make sure they stay free of dirts and oils as you keep your phone polished and shiny.
Spudz Classic Microfiber Cloth
Spudz has an innovative idea for anyone who wants to become a frequent screen cleaner: This microfiber cloth is designed to be pulled out of a neoprene pouch for a quick clean, then pulled back in with a loop on the other side, much like a never-ending box of super-soft tissues. The loop on the back also makes this 6 x 6-inch cloth easy to attach to your backpack, laptop case, or wherever you may need it when on the go. It’s also available in a variety of different patterns, which makes it easy to customize to match your current accessories.
AmazonBasics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth for Electronics
The Amazon Basics six-pack of microfiber cloths offers a great way to safely clean your smartphone and tablet screens. Designed to wipe away oil, smudges, fingerprints, dust, and dirt, these ultrasoft cloths are made of tightly woven microfiber, and each comes with its own plastic envelope to store it and keep it clean. Use them for your TV, computer monitor, laptop, and non-coated or multi-coated camera lenses, as well as your phone. A sawtooth pattern on the edges prevents fraying or scratches on your phone’s surface. The five black and one gray 6-by-7-inch cloths are machine washable and reusable.
HTTX Microfiber Screen Cleaning Cloths
These gentle, silky, lint-free microfiber cleaning cloths come in a variety pack with four pleasing pastel colors (blue, yellow, pink, and green), and work hard to keep your devices free from dust, smudges, fingerprints, and dirt without leaving scratches or streaks. The cloth lifts and traps dust from the screen. The cloths can be washed and used repeatedly. Each 6-by-7-inch cloth is packed in a polyurethane plastic bag for toting around. You can also use them on eyeglasses, camera lenses, jewelry, computer monitors, TVs, LCD screens, and car interiors.
Progo Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
Use the Progo Premium Microfiber cloth to clean oil and dirt off your smartphone and tablet screens, camera lenses, glasses, laptop, and TV screens. The 6×7-inch black cloths come in a six-pack, with each packed in its own polyurethane bag.
Fintie Screen Cleaning Pad
Fintie proves that keeping your smartphone touchscreen free of dust, fingerprints, smudges, and residue can be a beautiful experience. Its screen-cleaning pad is made from vegan leather on the back and soft microfiber cloth on the front to clean a variety of electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, computer monitors, TV screens, and camera lenses. The pad has an elastic strap on the back, suitable for any hand size, making it easy to anchor the pad while wiping the screen. Durable and reusable, you can mist the pad with a bit of water. It comes in a four-pack of vibrant patterns.
ProCase Screen Cleaning Pad Cloth Wipes
The ProCase Screen Cleaning Pad — made of soft, scratch-resistant vegan suede — is chemical-free and ideal for cleaning any touchscreen device, including smartphones and tablets, computer monitors, TVs, and more. The 3-by-3-inch reusable pad removes dust, fingerprints, smudges, and residue from the screen. The PU leather back handle makes it easy to use and control.
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