You Disinfect Your Hands, Why Aren’t You Disinfecting Your Phone?

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has resulted in many questions regarding “mobile hygiene” best practices. A study by the University of Arizona found that cell phones are 10X dirtier than public toilets. Another study found that over 99% of hospital staff smartphones are contaminated with pathogens. Yet, can your mobile phone withstand the aggressive cleaning and disinfecting needed to truly sanitize it? In fact, most mobile device manufacturers have specific restrictions on how you clean and disinfect their devices, or you risk voiding your device warranty

Over the last few years an increasing number of smartphones have evolved their Ingress Protection (IP rating) to IP-68, meaning they are resistant to dust (the “6”) and to water submersion for 30 minutes at a depth of one meter (the “8”). Thus, you might think when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting these devices, it is not a problem to wipe or spray a cleaner directly onto the device. However, the instructions for cleaning that same water-submersible device will say, “only use a damp cloth”, “avoid getting moisture into openings,” and “do not use household cleaners, aerosols, solvents… as they may damage the device.”

Sonim, a manufacturer of ultra-rugged mobile devices, designs their phones to withstand the toughest and harshest environments, but also to be aggressively cleaned and sanitized, giving you the peace of mind that you are not bringing the virus to your workplace or your home. Sonim devices are widely used by public safety and first responders, due to their rugged design and more recently, the ability to fully immerse the device in a bucket of chlorine bleach and water, scrub it aggressively, and then wipe it down. (Don’t try that with your typical smartphone). Sonim also stands behind their devices, with a three-year comprehensive warranty.

To learn more about Sonim ultra-rugged mobile phones and cleaning/disinfecting, visit:

https://www.sonimtech.com/solutions/covid-19/

CDC definition of cleaning and disinfecting:

Cleaning	Removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.
Disinfecting	Kills germs on surfaces or objects. Disinfecting works by using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces or objects. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.