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Mar 02, 2025

How to Clean a Phone Screen and Sanitize It, According to Experts

By Brooke Nelson Alexander Reviewed by Burton Kelso Updated on Aug. 13, 2024 Your phone is grosser than you realize. Wondering how to clean a phone without damaging it? Follow the experts'

By Brooke Nelson Alexander

Reviewed by Burton Kelso

Updated on Aug. 13, 2024

Your phone is grosser than you realize. Wondering how to clean a phone without damaging it? Follow the experts' step-by-step instructions.

Get this: Your smartphone is dirtier than a toilet seat. Sure, many of the germs found on your phone could be harmless. But in a study published in 2023, researchers found that a whopping 92% of cell phones carried illness-causing bacteria like strep and E. coli. If you’re anything like us, that fact alone makes a good case for learning how to clean your phone screen or how to clean iPhone charging port—and making it a regular part of your cleaning schedule.

If you want to be extra thorough at removing germs and bacteria from your smartphone, you’re in the right place. We asked microbiologist Charles Gerba, PhD, and cleaning expert Jessica Ek to share the scoop on how to properly disinfect your iPhone or Android, which products you should use, how often you should clean your device and more.

So grab your phone and crank up the cleaning tunes because you’re about to perfect the art of removing germs and bacteria from your trusty device.

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Snezhana Kudryavtsevac/getty images

As a microbiologist, Gerba knows just how germy phones can be (read: very, very germy), so he recommends at least daily cleanings. Some experts even recommend cleaning it every time you return home. Luckily, the process is quick, and you can use a simple item you probably already have at home. Read on to find out how to clean your phone screen of bacteria and other germs.

baona/getty images

The average smartphone screen carries more than 10,000 types of bacteria, so you need to go beyond daily wipe-downs. You may be tempted to use disinfectant wipes on your phone, but not so fast! You want to avoid those at all costs. According to Burton Kelso, owner of Integral computer services and a technology expert with more than 30 years of experience working with all types of tech devices and gadgets, the harsh chemicals in these wipes can ruin your phone’s screen and digitizers.

The good news: You don’t need a fancy phone sanitizer to get the job done. When your phone needs more than a quick cleaning, it’s time to follow Kelso’s method below.

Pro tip: You can use a non-corrosive solution like Pure and Clean surface cleaner to disinfect your smartphone. It doesn’t contain bleach or alcohol but instead uses hypochlorous acid to kill all the germs on your device.

MirageC/Getty Images

In Apple’s guidelines for cleaning iPhones, disinfectants like Clorox wipes are considered safe to use. If you have an Android smartphone, on-the-go Clorox wipes, Lysol wipes and other Lysol products are recommended for sanitizing many electronics, including smartphones and glass-display computer screens.

Wondering how to clean your phone screen without doing major damage? Skip the disinfectant wipes, says Kelso. Instead of using a product with harsh chemicals directly on your screen, stick with his go-to mix of alcohol and water on a microfiber cloth.

If you’re willing to risk damaging your screen by using a Clorox or Lysol wipe directly on it, be sure you at least wring out any excess liquid. Avoid getting liquid in any openings—it could seep into your device and damage it.

Alcohol wipes are approved by Apple’s experts for cleaning iPhones. (For the best germ-busting results, the company recommends using alcohol pads with 70% isopropyl or 75% ethyl alcohol.) But as Kelso points out, do you really want to risk using them when they have the potential to ruin your screen with repeated use? Applying an alcohol-and-water solution to a microfiber cloth and wiping your screen with that is a much safer way to clean your phone.

Hand sanitizer contains fragrances and rubbing alcohol that could harm your smartphone, so it’s best to avoid using it as a phone disinfectant.

Another thing you’re doing that iPhone experts wouldn’t: using heavy-duty household cleaners, including window cleaners like Windex, hydrogen peroxide or bleach, to clean your device. That’s a big no-no. These products have harsh chemicals that could damage your phone’s screen coating, says Ek. When in doubt, she recommends checking the manufacturer’s instructions for the proper care guidelines.

You should be able to use any antibacterial wipe to clean your phone, whether it’s an Apple or Android device, according to Ek. Just one caveat: Make sure the phone is turned off before you wipe it down, and wait for it to fully dry before turning it on again. That said, Kelso suggests sticking with a microfiber cloth—it won’t damage or scratch your screen.

Experts unanimously advise against using Windex on your phone. Windex contains ammonia, a harsh chemical that can cause damage to your phone’s touch-screen coating and LCD display over time.

Yes. If your phone stays physically clean but you’re worried about its germiness, consider purchasing Phone Soap. This product uses UV radiation to zap the bacteria living on your phone.

“When applying cleaning solutions, sometimes you have to let the wet solution sit on your phone for a few minutes to kill germs,” says Kelso. “With Phone Soap, you can simply place your phone in the device to remove the germs. UV rays will bombard your phone to clean the germs, and Phone Soap will charge your phone as well.”

Gerba recommends wiping down your iPhone or Android device with a microfiber cloth every day. If wiping down your phone daily sounds unrealistic, remember just how germy phones can be.

“We have found that the germiest phones are those of teenagers and cooks in restaurants,” Gerba says. But even if you don’t fall into one of those two categories, you’re not in the clear. “Phones are germ mobile devices,” he says. “You are putting germs on the phones and taking them off all day.”

At the very least, you should give your phone a good cleaning twice a week, according to Ek.

Learning how to clean a phone screen is a good start, but you’ll also want to take steps to keep your phone clean and bacteria free during the day. Our experts offered up some genius tips that anyone can follow.

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. For this piece, Brooke Nelson tapped her experience as a seasoned tech reporter and interviewed experts in microbiology and cleaning. Then Burton Kelso, owner of tech-repair company Integral and a technology expert with more than 30 years of experience working with all types of tech devices and gadgets, gave it a rigorous review to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We relied on reputable primary sources, including Apple, Lysol and academic journals. We verified all facts and data and backed them with credible sourcing, and we will revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

The Right Way to Clean AirPods

How to Clean a TV Screen

Steps to Clean a Keyboard