We all know the importance of regularly clearing out unused apps from our phone to help it perform better, but what a lot of us may not think about is frequently cleaning our phone's surface.
As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread, personal health and cleaning tips are being shared by health authorities to help stop the disease growing.
But even without a global illness, it's still a good idea to regularly wipe the back and front of your phone to get rid of any germs that may be on there.
The reason being is that two-thirds of New Zealanders are comfortable with using their phone while on the toilet. And although they might wash their hands afterwards, they probably don't clean their phone.
Consumer NZ swabbed the surfaces of some phones and grew the results in petri dishes. Although they didn't test what was growing, they found some nasty-looking bacteria.
So to keep yourself safe and to stop spreading any germs, there are some quick and easy ways to clean your phone screen.
The best way to disinfect your phone is to use a soft, slightly damp microfibre cloth, Consumer NZ recommends. Using this method will remove most of the germs from your phone.
If your phone has a case, you can remove your phone and clean the case by itself. But you need to let it dry completely before you put your phone back in.
According to Apple, you should avoid towels, abrasive cloths and paper towels because they all carry a risk of scratching your phone.
It also warns against using aerosol sprays, bleaches and abrasives, and you shouldn't wipe too excessively on your screen.
