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iPad Best way to disinfect/clean electronic gadget screens - iPad, iPhone etc.?

radtechy said:
Water does not disinfect
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Yeah, and?

Don't disinfect stuff around you in your daily life. Okay, if you're outside and you get pigeon crap splattered over your iPad screen I'd understand if you want to disinfect it, but otherwise? NO. Don't do it.

All you do is train germs around you to get better at surviving. Next time you touch (or hell, even breathe on) your iThing you're going to have germs on it again, so disinfecting it in the first place was completely pointless. Germs are everywhere, and you know what? That's totally okay.

We have more germs living on our skin and inside us than there are human cells in our bodies. That is as it should be, we've evolved alongside germs and live in symbiosis with most of them, without them we'd literally die.

So generally, there's no need to disinfect your electronic devices. Likewise, you should not buy or use antibacterial soap, dishwashing liquid, cutting boards, underwear etc etc and so forth. It promotes resistance in the little buggers and does (much) more harm than good.

Wipe off your iThings with a dry or very slightly moist, clean microfiber cloth. That's all you need in almost every circumstance.
 
Charliebird said:
Me too. Please don't ever take any of my advice or suggestions. They're all bad.
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Good advice!

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To clean I use what others do…. soft cotton cloth with a smidge of water.

To disinfect because you happen to be a hopeless germaphobe…. there is this not-cheap thing called a UV wand. Perfectly safe for tablet/phone screens. The only thing they are not safe for? Your body. They will destroy your skin cells (and leading to cancer) the same way being burned in a tanning booth for many hours. It can also lead to blindness if you expose it to your eyes.

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But for non-living objects like phones and tablets and desktop keyboards, these will disinfect the majority of microbes etc. A good and quick way to sterilize. Hospitals have been using similar technology for years.

Oh…. and keep out of reach of children. Especially the stupid ones. And the really dumb teenagers who think that UV wands are great playing as light sabers against their brothers and sisters. Again, a wonderful way to lead to injuries like blindness, skin burns, and eventually skin carcinomas.

I bought a UV wand way back when they were much cheaper on Amazon years ago. Nowadays, well over $100 for the popular Zadro brand.
 
I use a few drops of water on a cotton towel then call it a day. Cleans the screen and leaves the germs behind.

I've wondered about disinfecting my iDevices. They are supposedly one of the dirtiest things that we handle. I don't want to chance using something on the screens that might damage them so I don't bother. I try to keep my hands clean but am not obsessed with it. A friend has hand sanitizer everywhere she looks. Can't walk 10 feet with seeing a bottle.
 
Charliebird said:
Pop it in the microwave for good five minutes and it will be nice and disinfected. :p
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That takes too long. A flame can disinfect in 30 seconds. I use fire when I want to sterilize something.

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SHirsch999 said:
I heard that sand paper helps with those tiny scratches
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I prefer a powered wet sander with superfine paper. Much faster. Careful with the water ;)

On a side note, if you sand first, then sterilize, it's more efficient because the fire can also dry the phone. Works great.
 
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klo6 said:
I'm a phlebotomist at an OB/GYN office... I don't even want to imagine what could get on my iPhone and iPad! I use the purple PDI wipes or alcohol pads on both everyday before I leave.

Did you know hepatitis can live on a surface for up to 2 weeks?!?!?! :eek: Ewww!!!
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I'm a farmer. I spent all morning AI-ing (AI has a completely different meaning in the dairy industry than tech...) and as a result both I and my phone (in a Griffin Survivor case) are a little bit covered in ******.

I won't be losing any sleep over it.
 
I use Zeiss brand screen wipes. I buy them at Walmart.

If a screen has a lot of crud on it, I spray an eyeglass cleaner on a paper towel to get the crud off. Then use a screen wipe to get any smudges left.

Any cleaner/wipe that says it is meant for camera lenses or for anti-reflective coated eyeglass lenses should work fine cleaning tech screens.

If I was working in an area that had real biohazards, I think I would keep my tech in a Lifeproof case and use alcohol wipes to wipe it down.
 
If you are concerned about disease transmission (and you should be), to disinfect you must wipe the device with an agent that will kill bacteria, spores and viruses. Disinfection is not sterilization, but can reduce cross-contamination. Imagine stopping at an ATM for cash, then answering a call on your cell phone. You just contaminated your phone with microbes like fecal bacteria and pathogens from the last 500 people that touched the ATM keypad!

I'm a dentist and I work in a cesspool of bugs, spit and microbial soup every day. We "disinfect" our operatory electronic devices and surfaces with hospital grade disinfectant wipes (typically contain glutaraldehyde). At home, I use Clorox wipes to get the most predictable disinfection possible for my phone.

Just my (disinfected) .02...
 
I was holding the hand rail on an escalator years ago. Someone quickly said "don't touch that!". I asked why. He told me about the hundreds/thousands of people that have touched it before me. People that have wiped their noses, wiped themselves in the bathroom then didn't wash their hands ect... I no longer hold the rail unless I'm going to fall. That stuff might not harm us but I don't like being sick so I don't want to chance it.

A few people have mentioned using paper towels to clean their phones. They aren't very soft. Even while wet. Have to be careful with them so you don't scratch the screen.
 
iMas70 said:
I was holding the hand rail on an escalator years ago. Someone quickly said "don't touch that!". I asked why. He told me about the hundreds/thousands of people that have touched it before me. People that have wiped their noses, wiped themselves in the bathroom then didn't wash their hands ect... I no longer hold the rail
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And while he spoke to you, he probably assaulted you with plenty of airborne stuff. ;)

We have immune systems for a reason, and for them to work well exposure is quite helpful. I mean, sure, you don't want to lick your fingers after you touch the rail, but presumably most people do wash their hands before they do that (or touch food).

If you are really concerned, you should wear gloves when handling anything that other people have touched. Money is probably a much bigger offender than the subway rails. Plus, all the airborne stuff, some of which can be quite dangerous.
 
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Is this product okay for iPad, iPhone 6 or 7 and rMBP 2015 screens, mentioned earlier by a Dentist, apple appear not to recommend spray

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clorox-Dis...ie=UTF8&qid=1482574177&sr=8-9&keywords=Clorox
.....

"There are more than five times of germs on a smartphone screen as compared to a toilet seat," NTT Docomo said in a post on its official YouTube page."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38412707


https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204172

I guess they would be fine on mouse and keyboard

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201294

thanks in advance
 
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