Trevor Wheelwright

Updated 24 October 2024

Contents

In this guide:

How to clean your phone
Unplug and turn off your phone
Wipe down your phone case
Disinfect your screen
Go back over holes, corners, and crevices
Make regular phone cleaning a habit

Let’s face it: Your phone is gross. Your cellular companion, which may as well be your third hand, goes from your pocket to your hand to random surfaces and back again all day, picking up who-knows-what along the way. Don’t worry, though, we’ll show you the easiest solutions to keep your phone clean without over-complicating things.

With some basic cleaning essentials and good habits, you can keep your phone feeling fresh while staving off some of the scarier things that have accumulated on it. We’ll also share tips for making phone cleaning a regular part of your routine, along with product recommendations to simplify the process.

What you need to clean your phone

There are a few basics that you probably have on hand or can find in most grocery or retail stores. We’ll quickly go over what you need and then recommend more phone-specific products later on.

Phone cleaning essentials:

Soft, lint-free cleaning cloth: To wipe down your device while avoiding scratches, use a soft, lint-free cloth, like a microfiber or lens cloth.
Gentle soap and water or other non-abrasive cleaning solution: For basic cleaning, a small amount of mild dish soap in warm water works well.
70% isopropyl alcohol wipes: For disinfecting, wipes with 70% isopropyl alcohol are recommended by phone manufacturers to safely clean your phone without damaging its protective coating.

Most of the time, you’ll rely on a damp cloth or alcohol wipes to clean your phone’s surfaces. If you want a deeper clean, don’t forget to show your ports and speakers some love. For an extra layer of sanitation, get a UV light box—a convenient, hands-free option for disinfecting at home.

Bonus items for keeping your phone clean:

Toothpick: Use a wooden toothpick to clean out those hard-to-reach spots, like around the buttons or in the charging port.
Manual air blower: Use an air blower (like the ones photographers use for cameras) to help blow away dust and debris that you’ve helped loosen up with your toothpick.
Soft-bristle brush: To help clean your speakers or other tricky spots, grab a toothbrush, makeup brush, or paintbrush with soft bristles to sweep away debris without damaging your phone.
UV light phone sanitization box: A UV light sanitizing box quickly disinfects your phone without chemicals or moisture—just pop your device in and let the UV light kill germs.

How to clean your phone

If you look across recommendations from the FCC, Apple, Samsung, and Google, they’ll all tell you about the same things, so we’ll make it easy for you.

Here’s the quickest way to clean your phone:

Unplug and turn off your phone.
Wipe down your phone and case.
Tackle ports, holes, and crevices.
Disinfect with alcohol wipes or UV light sanitizers.

Want more detailed instructions? Click on one of the steps to learn everything you need to know.

Precautions and warnings:

Avoid pouring liquid directly into your phone, which can ruin your phone.
Avoid rough or dirty cloths or wipes, which can scratch your phone.
Avoid using metal tools, you can damage electrical and other components.
Avoid harsh chemicals like bleach or vinegar, which can erode your phone’s coating.
Avoid using compressed air, which can damage internal components.

Unplug and turn off your phone

It’s a good idea to unplug your phone before cleaning—this is a safety precaution to avoid liquid damage, especially around any openings in the phone.

Wipe down your phone and phone case

Use a damp, soft, lint-free cloth to clean your phone and case, making sure to cover all your surfaces, corners, and broader areas. You can use warm, soapy water or a specialized cleaning solution.

Don’t use dirty cloths, which can contain grime and debris, or abrasive cloths and wipes, which can scratch and damage your phone in the process.

The easiest solution

Keep these WHOOSH! Spray Cleaners and Cloths kits in your bag, in a drawer, or on your desk. Some other handy options are the two-in-one screen cleaner spray and wipe sticks.

Help, I got my phone wet while cleaning!

Accidentally get your phone too wet while cleaning, or worse, drop it in the sink or toilet? Don’t panic—there are still steps you can take to save it.

First, power it off immediately and avoid plugging it in. Dry it off as much as possible, and consider using silica gel packets or a bag of rice to help absorb moisture. For more detailed recovery tips, check out our full guide on what to do if you drop your phone in water.

You can also explore waterproof phone cases to prevent future accidents.

Disinfect your screen

Phone manufacturers and government agencies recommend using a disinfectant that uses 70% isopropyl alcohol, which will disinfect your phone without corroding your phone. In addition, you should avoid harsh chemicals, like bleach or vinegar, which may damage your phone’s protective coating and erode components. Strong cleaning agents and aerosols are also not recommended.

Other acceptable solutions mentioned are 75% ethyl alcohol or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, though, in our experience, these can contain too much liquid and leave a streaky finish.

UV light boxes

UV sanitizing boxes can be one of the quickest, easiest ways to disinfect your phone regularly and reach places alcohol wipes can’t. Here are three popular options from Amazon:

For a cheap and quick disinfecting option, check out this Samsung UV sanitizing box.
The PhoneSoap 3 disinfects and charges your phone, so it may be worth the extra cash.
If you like the idea of cleaning more items than just your phone, you might want to pay a bit more to get a bigger UV sanitizing box.

The easiest solution

Buy disposable 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes from Zeiss to clean your phone, case, and other peripherals on a regular basis.

How dirty is my phone, really?

You’ve probably heard the claim that cell phones are 10 times dirtier than a bathroom. The actual numbers are even more alarming.

A study published by Nature emphasizes that phones warrant serious consideration in hygiene protocols, stating, “mobile phones may act as platforms for microbial multiplication and as a dynamic training ‘school’ for superbugs to evolve (and disseminate).”

To help mitigate this possibility, the paper recommends that we clean our phones as often as our hands and utilize new technologies like UV light boxes to help make sanitizing our phones a common practice.

Go back over ports, holes, and crevices

Quick surface wipes are great for on the go, but it’s important to regularly deep clean. Take time to clean both the inside and outside of your phone case, and don’t forget those small crevices around the buttons, camera, and other spots where dirt collects. In the process, you’ll improve your phone’s performance. Ever wonder why your phone isn’t charging? That’s likely because your charging port needs to be cleaned.

Wooden toothpicks are recommended over metal items like needles and paper clips because they are less likely to damage your internal components or cause electrical shorts. If you don’t already have these at home, look for thinner, more durable toothpicks.

A clean soft bristle brush can help loosen up grime in harder-to-reach places like ports and speaker areas, or between buttons, and a hand blower can also help loosen up and remove dirt and debris as you clean out the gunk. Some people also turn to adhesive strips for removing junk from ports.

The easiest solution

Pick up a pack of toothpicks, an air blower, and one of these OXO soft-bristle brushes for electronics, which has retractable tips and better grip. Keeping these handy will make it easy anytime you’re giving your phone’s ports and crevices a deeper clean.

Make regular phone cleaning a habit

Keeping your phone clean isn’t a one-time job—it’s about building a routine. The easiest way to make this a habit is to keep cleaning tools like alcohol wipes or a microfiber cloth within reach, whether you’re at home, at work, or on the go. Over time, this becomes second nature, and your phone stays cleaner with minimal effort.

Since phones are magnets for germs, incorporating quick cleanups into your daily routine can reduce bacteria buildup and keep your device feeling fresh.

Trevor Wheelwright

Trevor is a Contributing Data Journalist at WhistleOut, whose work has been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNN, MSN, and Business Insider. His expertise lies in sifting through the complex data of the mobile and internet tech industries and telling the stories that affect your everyday life.

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