Did you know that your beloved companion, your cell phone is germ infested? Recent studies by Insurance2go and Stanford University found that the average cell phone has about ten times the amount of germs found on a typical toilet seat and handle! Would you believe at least 25,000 germs per square inch! (Over 560,000 bacterium can live end to end on a surface the size of a pinhead!) These germs found on cell phones contribute to colds, flu, staph and skin irritations like acne.
So think about where your cell phone has been in the past 24 hours and what it has possibly contaminated? You woke up in the morning and the germs have been multiplying all night because they were well fed from the oils from your skin, earwax and dust and have been kept warm from the heat of the phone. You pick this germ laden object up and take it into the kitchen and lay it down on surface that will soon hold food that you will eat. Did you remember to wash your hands before touching food? Then you stash this mobile germ carrier into your pocket or purse. You end up pulling it out several times a day and even take it into the bathroom with you and you are constantly transferring germs here, there, hither and beyond like your steering wheel of your car, refrigerator handle, doorknobs, keyboards, gas pumps, grocery carts etc. And then even when you lay your head down, you have placed your cell phone nearby on your nightstand. Do you get the picture?
Researchers have tested the phones of people taking part in studies. The results of these studies are disturbing and disgusting. Bacteria, mold and yeast were prevalent on all the devices because they discovered that at best only 1 out of 20 people claimed that they clean their phones every 6 months. While more than a third of the people have never actually cleaned them!

Here are some tips on cleaning these extremely filthy objects:
First of all, Do NOT use Antibacterial wipes because they are actually abrasive and can damage and scratch your phone. While they may be effective at killing germs, the chemicals can corrode and remove the coating on the glass screen. So HOW does one go about disinfecting our germ laden phones?
Step 1: Turn phone OFF
Step 2: Fill a small spray bottle halfway with bottled water then fill the other half with 70% isopropyl alcohol. Place the cap back on and give it a good shake to mix the 2 liquids.
Step 3 Never spray the solution directly onto the phone but lightly spray a microfiber or lint free cloth. Don’t get the cloth soaking wet, just sparingly spritz the cloth once or twice.
Step 4: Now rub the entire phone and be sure to give those buttons a swipe. It is suggested to us single strokes from the top of the screen to the bottom. (Avoid circular motions because this can cause circular scratches.)

In my research of this topic, I stumbled across a smart gadget way though a bit on the expensive side  to keep your phone relatively germfree called the PhoneSoap 3.0 that was designed for hospitals, labs and other medical environments. It uses UV-C light to kill bacteria in only 10 minutes and it can also clean other objects that we are constantly touching like credit cards and keys. They were featured on Shark Tank and can be found on https://www.phonesoap.com/ starting at $59.95.