Coronavirus resists 9 days on some surfaces, have you already disinfected the screen of your mobile?

Staying at home, washing your hands with soap and water and not touching your face are three of the fundamental pillars of preventing the spread of the coronavirus. But there is an object that you use often, you never wash and it is in contact with your face every two by three: your mobile phone. ¿You know how to disinfect it to make it as coronavirus-proof as the rest of your life? Take note of these steps.

If you are the happy owner of an iPhone, the apple signature gives you the go-ahead to use it on its screen disinfectant wipes provided they only contain 70% isopropyl alcohol. Please check the composition of these wipes well before you start rubbing because if they contain aggressive agents (such as bleaching agents) they can remove the oleophobic (oil repellent) and hydrophobic (water repellent) coating from the screen.

If you don't have these wipes on hand, don't worry. You may disinfect any mobile (iPhone or not) using two cotton rags or chamois (never kitchen paper, which can leave residues that enter through the holes of the mobile) and a bowl with warm soapy water. We insist, soap and water. Never disinfectants, pure alcohol, dilute bleach, or descaling sprays. Water and soap and in small doses, nothing to immerse the mobile phone, even if it is submersible in advertising. No mobile has been tested in a basin of soapy water, resist the temptation to check if yours is capable of surviving the experience.

Once you have clarified what to clean the mobile with, wash your own hands, remove the cover from the mobile and also wash it with soap and water, making sure it is dry before putting it back on. As for the mobile itself, the secret of success is to wet one of the rags and drain it well before rubbing the phone with it without exerting too much pressure and then drying it with the other cloth, again, without going over the top to avoid scratching the screen.

Areas like the headphone jack or the charger jack can also be cleaned with a moistened cotton swab (not soggy, we insist, because if a single drop of soapy water enters, say goodbye to your contact with the outside world and your Instagram account).

But in addition to cleaning it, there are often other indications that can help your mobile overcome the coronavirus in as good condition as you are. The first is that whenever you disinfect it is turned off, the second that you put a protective tempered glass (which is even easier to disinfect than the screen itself) and the third is that you don't share it … just in case the germs.