Cleaning House: How to Sanitize Your Electronics the Right Way
We are always in contact with one gadget or another: phones, game controllers, remotes and more. Scientists discovered that sometimes toilet seats or the bottoms of our shoes can be cleaner than our electronics.
Ew, right?
When the weather gets cold, my kids spend more time inside and we all get sick over and over again. One boy gets a virus, and it spreads all over our house like the plague. Once I started keeping the electronics, light switches and doorknobs clean, we were so much healthier!
I'm going to share some of my favorite ways to keep your gadgets clean and not ruin them in the process.
Have you recovered from the thought of what is growing on your gadgets? It's an awful thought, I know. You OK? Yes? OK, great, let's get started.
3 Things NOT to Do When Cleaning Electronics:
1.) Do not use paper towels
Not only will you get papery lint residue, but they can actually scratch the LCD surface of your electronics.
Related: 10 unexpected uses for baking soda
2.) Do not use regular window cleaner
There are many options for special cleaning solutions! Or if you prefer to go natural, use a solution of vinegar and water mixed equally. I use it for my electronics cleaning, and it works like a charm.
3.) Never spray cleaner directly on your gadgets
Keep liquid away from all the ports, ventilation holes and various gaps on your electronics. Spray cleaner on a soft cloth (microfiber is a smart choice), and then clean your electronics.
How to Clean your Electronics
1.) How to Clean your Touchscreen Gadgets
Use vinegar and water on your touchscreen gadgets. Mix the vinegar and water together in equal parts and use a soft microfiber cloth to gently wipe the crud off your electronics. I dip the cloth in solution, squeeze out the excess and just use a little dab to clean my electronics. Distilled water is often used to keep the chemicals in tap water away from delicate camera lenses.
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2.) How to Clean your Keyboard
Keep your keyboard gunk-free with compressed air and a little rubbing alcohol. I blow all the dust out of my keyboard with compressed air and then use a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a swab to keep the keys clean. I've too often opened my laptop in public and realized it looks like it has spent a few years in a dusty dungeon. I'm left trying casually to wipe it off with my scarf and hope no one notices.
3.) How to Clean your Remotes and Handheld Devices
Remotes are gross. I travel for business frequently, and the first thing I do when I enter a hotel room is use a dab of sanitizing gel on the light switch and the TV remote. Studies have been done with a black light that show the shower floor is often cleaner than those things in hotel rooms. EW. At home, our remotes and handheld devices are held by grimy fingers, licked by the dog (who probably smelled food residue) and who knows what else? I regularly wipe these things down with rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth. Yes, it's a harsh cleaner, but I've never ruined any remotes yet. And yes, you probably want to check your manuals and follow manufacturer directions.
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4.) How Often to Clean your Gadgets
I clean my electronics when I notice the schmutz on them or when one of the boys starts to show signs of illness. Otherwise, how often I sanitize an item simply depends on how much it is used.
How often do you clean your electronics? I would love to hear, and of course, please share your tips for keeping them clean in the comments below.
-By Alli Worthington
For the 25 smartest cleaning solutions you've ever heard of, visit Babble!
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Alli Worthington is the mother to five sons and one stepdaughter, a wife, a writer and an entrepreneur. She is launching Picha Global, and she is the founder of Blissfully Domestic magazine and co-founder of Blissdom Conference (US & Canada Canada). Words that describe her: believer, policy wonk and adventurer. She loves: social good, startups, photography, transmedia, tech, photography, gardening and ice cream. You can learn more about her on her website.
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