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Other Can soapy hands damage iPhone?

T

ThatiPhoneKid

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 15, 2017
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Hi,

I was just wondering, I wash my hands a lot with hand washes and hand sanitizers and I also work as a dish washer at weekends so I’m always touching soap, I always dry my hands thoroughly but I was wondering because I’m always touching soap could I cause damage to my iPhone or the oleophobic coating on my iPhone
 
I doubt it. There’s tons of things people have on there hands that get on there phones worst than frequently washed hands. If you were dunking the phone in dish washing liquid I’d say possibly but your hands are dry and clean. I’d say oily/dirty hands would be worse for the coating..
 
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Alcohol has been shown to deteriorate the coating, but I doubt most soaps would. As long as you don’t touch the screen when you still have sanitizer on your hand, and thoroughly rinse them after washing, I’m sure you’ll be fine.
 
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Can soapy hands damage your iPhone? If it slips out of your hands in the shower and lands face down, very possibly ;)
 
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ThatiPhoneKid said:
Hi,

I was just wondering, I wash my hands a lot with hand washes and hand sanitizers and I also work as a dish washer at weekends so I’m always touching soap, I always dry my hands thoroughly but I was wondering because I’m always touching soap could I cause damage to my iPhone or the oleophobic coating on my iPhone
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It is possible that the soap could have a reaction with the oleophobic coating, but the best way to address that issue is just make sure your hands are dry.
 
I washed my hands today and my phone starting ringing so I quickly rinsed and dried my hands and answered my phone however my hands were still a tiny bit damp when I answered my phone, I’m worried that as my hands were a bit damp they may have still had soap residue on them and this could have caused damage to the oleophobic coating?
 
ThatiPhoneKid said:
I washed my hands today and my phone starting ringing so I quickly rinsed and dried my hands and answered my phone however my hands were still a tiny bit damp when I answered my phone, I’m worried that as my hands were a bit damp they may have still had soap residue on them and this could have caused damage to the oleophobic coating?
Click to expand...
you should either get rid of your phone, or put it inside a all-enclosed case. stop over worrying over nothing.

next week it will be: 'does breathing near my iPhone wear it out?' :p
 
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Think like this. The oelophobic coating will go away on its own with time no matter what you do with it.

To answer the question, no, it didn't damage the coating.
 
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Lekro said:
Think like this. The oelophobic coating will go away on its own with time no matter what you do with it.

To answer the question, no, it didn't damage the coating.
Click to expand...
Thank you
Krayzkat said:
you should either get rid of your phone, or put it inside a all-enclosed case. stop over worrying over nothing.

next week it will be: 'does breathing near my iPhone wear it out?' :p
Click to expand...
thanks for your reply, lol
 
Is there only your phone you care so much or other things as well?

Over using soap in a way that your phone will get damaged is for sure more problematic for your skin in the first place
 
I washed my iPhone with bleach, will my hands get damaged?
 
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Krayzkat said:
you should either get rid of your phone, or put it inside a all-enclosed case. stop over worrying over nothing.

next week it will be: 'does breathing near my iPhone wear it out?' :p
Click to expand...

No, next week it will be " I got stopped for speeding but I was doing the speed limit. My iPhone gave the radar gun a false reading".
 
My iPhone is 4 years old and undoubtedly that slick coating is long gone - and I don't miss it or notice it at all. I'd rather get a brand new phone without that slick dry slippery coating sprayed all over it. It just makes the phone way too easy to drop accidentally. Way too slippery.
Fingerprints? Just wipe them off
 
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OP, have you ever been evaluated by a clinician for OCD? (Obsessive-compulsive Disorder) Many of your posts seem to suggest that it is a distinct possibility. If you haven't been evaluated and if you do notice various aspects of your life being affected by anxiety, concerns about cleanliness, counting and other things, it might be worth meeting with someone about this. There are various ways of helping someone alleviate and move past, even completely extinguish the symptoms and it could make your life a whole lot more comfortable and easier.
 
Clix Pix said:
OP, have you ever been evaluated by a clinician for OCD? (Obsessive-compulsive Disorder) Many of your posts seem to suggest that it is a distinct possibility. If you haven't been evaluated and if you do notice various aspects of your life being affected by anxiety, concerns about cleanliness, counting and other things, it might be worth meeting with someone about this. There are various ways of helping someone alleviate and move past, even completely extinguish the symptoms and it could make your life a whole lot more comfortable and easier.
Click to expand...

I do have OCD and it is very controlling, I’m not just saying I have OCD because I like to keep my products perfect, I actually do have it and i get obsessive thoughts in my head, such as the question I’m asking in this thread and I find the only way for myself to have these thoughts fade is to ask these questions and read others opinions and answers in order for myself to see if something is normal or not.
 
ThatiPhoneKid said:
I do have OCD and it is very controlling, I’m not just saying I have OCD because I like to keep my products perfect, I actually do have it and i get obsessive thoughts in my head, such as the question I’m asking in this thread and I find the only way for myself to have these thoughts fade is to ask these questions and read others opinions and answers in order for myself to see if something is normal or not.
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I find the best way of dealing with it is to find a field of work where it's a positive rather than negative.
For example I cannot put a MacBook or iPhone after repair back on the shelf with fingerprints and smudges on the screen. I start and finish with cleaning. Same goes for missing screws, adhesive and any other component which the device would work without of, but I still cannot leave it like that, it would bug me and 100% I would open it up again to fix them (happened many times when I was in a hurry). Bosses and customers like precision and care in work.

People around me get annoyed sometimes though, when I bug them with my weird questions for assurance about weird stuff they usually never thought of/cared about.

Most of the time you just need assurance of your already made up, but still doubting opinion, to be free from the thought.
 
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Lekro said:
I find the best way of dealing with it is to find a field of work where it's a positive rather than negative.
For example I cannot put a MacBook or iPhone after repair back on the shelf with fingerprints and smudges on the screen. I start and finish with cleaning. Same goes for missing screws, adhesive and any other component which the device would work without of, but I still cannot leave it like that, it would bug me and 100% I would open it up again to fix them (happened many times when I was in a hurry). Bosses and customers like precision and care in work.

People around me get annoyed sometimes though, when I bug them with my weird questions for assurance about weird stuff they usually never thought of/cared about.

Most of the time you just need assurance of your already made up, but still doubting opinion, to be free from the thought.
Click to expand...

This is like exactly the same as what I go through. It means a lot to see a post like this as sometimes I feel like the only person who goes through this. Thank you.
 
ThatiPhoneKid said:
I do have OCD and it is very controlling, I’m not just saying I have OCD because I like to keep my products perfect, I actually do have it and i get obsessive thoughts in my head, such as the question I’m asking in this thread and I find the only way for myself to have these thoughts fade is to ask these questions and read others opinions and answers in order for myself to see if something is normal or not.
Click to expand...

I hope that you are in treatment for your OCD, as there are various things which can help. The reason I brought this up in the first place is that when you ask the kinds of questions you do in many of your posts without explaining that you are being genuine and that you're asking because something is a real concern for you, unfortunately this brings the risks of ridicule and mockery, people thinking you're joking, etc. -- as we can see in this very thread and which I have noticed in other threads of yours as well. I can understand your desire to have either validation about your concern or information that lets you know that your concern is not realistic, but I think it might be helpful to let readers know that you're not joking, that you really are worried about whatever a situation might be. You might receive more valuable insights, information and reality checks as opposed to mockery and sarcastic responses. Unfortunately, all too often the term OCD does get casually tossed around, especially by those who really have no clue as to debilitating and disabling a disorder it really can be.
 
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In the end u are just dealing with symptoms when asking these questions. But you have to deal with the root cause why they arise.

We by answering these questions might give you a short relief but actually it’s like giving a cigarette to a smoker who tries to quit.
 
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ThatiPhoneKid said:
Hi,

I was just wondering, I wash my hands a lot with hand washes and hand sanitizers and I also work as a dish washer at weekends so I’m always touching soap, I always dry my hands thoroughly but I was wondering because I’m always touching soap could I cause damage to my iPhone or the oleophobic coating on my iPhone
Click to expand...
Sanitizers will ruin the oleophobic coating over time. Soaps are pretty safe
 
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