We all remember the mad rush for cleaning products and hand sanitizer at the start of the pandemic. It’s still difficult to get these products in some areas.
Unfortunately, there are always people who take advantage of others in times of need. They appeal to our desire for cleanliness and safety with websites and product listings containing fake cleaning supplies. Tap or click here to spot fake Clorox and Lysol websites.
By now, you probably have heard of the studies showing that smartphones are germier than toilets. If not, now you know. While many of the objects we handle daily are potentially dirty, phones made headlines because we are all so attached to them. What about the rest? Some of your favorite devices attract more germs than your phone. We’ll give you the breakdown as well as some cleaning methods.
Here’s the dirt
A study from comparethemarket.com measured dirt levels on 12 of the most common household products, swabbing 10 examples of each one. Toilets served a baseline as the least grimy product, and electronic products made up half of the rest. Yikes.
Tests were conducted by swabbing items to get an RLU (relative light units) reading, a method used by hospitals and food manufacturers. The measurement is based on ATP (Adenosine triphosphate), a molecule found in all living cells. The presence of ATP could indicate the presence of mold or bacteria. The higher the RLU reading, the higher the amount of ATP and greater contamination.
An RLU of less than 50 is a passing score. Anything above that is a fail. At the extreme ends of the test results were toilets with an RLU measurement of 866 and shopping carts at 22,521. Let’s see where your favorite electronics fell.
- Remote control: 7,349 RLU
- iPad/tablet: 6,993 RLU
- Headphones: 6,339 RLU
- Laptop: 4,915 RLU
- Phone: 3,866 RLU
There you have it. According to the study, your TV remote is nearly nine times dirtier than your toilet, while your phone approaches five times the filth. Again, yikes.
Get a spring on your cleaning
Now that you’re looking around your home in disgust, what are you going to do about it? Start with your hands and these great hand sanitizer deals.
The simplest method is to wipe down your electronics with disinfecting wipes. If your phone or tablet has a cover, clean both the device and its protective housing. Read on for a list of products to get started and go beyond to deeper cleaning.
1. Care Touch Lens Cleaning Wipes
It doesn’t take much effort to swipe at your gadgets now and then. These Care Touch Lens Cleaning Wipes are safe to use on your electronics and even work on glasses. Each wipe is individually wrapped and leaves your stuff clean and streak-free. With 210 wipes per box, you have no excuse for regularly wiping down your phone, tablet, laptop and more.
2. 35-Piece DanziX Phone Cleaning Kit
A surface cleaning is a good start, but your phone contains nooks and crannies that hide the worst of the worst dirt. This 35-Piece DanziX Phone Cleaning Kit contains cleaning swabs and brushes of all sizes to really get in there. The smaller tools can get into your charging and headphone jacks to remove dirt and debris, while the brushes are good for grease and fingerprints. A cloth is also included for wiping down your screen.
3. PhoneSoap 3 UV Smartphone Sanitizer & Universal Charger
You can’t see all the dirt on your phone, making cleanup difficult. The PhoneSoap 3 UV Smartphone Sanitizer & Universal Charger uses UV-C light to remove 99.99% of germs in about 10 minutes.
Though it’s designed for your smartphone, you can drop in anything that fits, such as smartwatches, headphones and keys. The PhoneSoap 3 includes one USB port and one USB-C so you can charge up your device while it gets a cleaning. Choose from six different colors.
Keep reading
12 affordable things to keep your electronics clean and organized
Smartphone deep clean: Step-by-step guide to clean your phone inside and out
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.