The continuing onslaught of coronavirus news has a lot of us on edge. We continue to be told to wash our hands and be especially mindful of the things we touch. And what’s the one thing we touch more than a few times per day? Our phones. Or, as the Journal of Hospital Infection refers to them, our portable petri dishes.

It’s not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but the World Health Organization reports it seems to behave similar to other coronaviruses and might persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.

This could vary under different conditions, such as the type of surface, the temperature or the humidity of the environment. But just think about how often you touch your phone.

If there’s the slightest possibility a surface has been infected, err on the side of caution, and clean it with a simple disinfectant to kill viruses and protect yourself and others.

Clean your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.

Avoid touching your eyes, mouth or nose. And for goodness’ sake, clean your phone.

<strong>WHAT NOT TO DO</strong>

When it comes to disinfecting your phone and other electronic gear, you want to kill viruses and bacteria without doing harm or voiding your phone or device warranty. That means no dripping antibacterial wipes. Do not use a prohibited cleaner, and do not spray anything directly on the device.

<strong>BASICS</strong>

Follow these basic instructions for how to clean your phone, screens, keyboards and other electronic gadgets:

• Always unplug the phone or device before attempting to clean it.

• Prepare a dry, soft cloth, or open a packaged alcohol wipe designed for cleaning eyeglasses. Never use paper materials such as tissues, napkins or paper towels. Paper contains wood pulp that can leave scratches and permanent marks.

• Cleaning instructions vary from one manufacturer to another. If in doubt, consult the manufacturer’s website.

• Allow the disinfectant to air dry on the surface for at least 10 minutes before you wipe it down with a soft, clean towel.

• Clean frequently used phones, devices and keyboards twice per day.

<strong>IPHONE</strong>

Apple has just updated its support page to say you can clean your iPhone with alcohol wipes, Clorox disinfectant wipes or 70 percent isopropyl alcohol poured or sprayed onto a clean, soft cloth. Use only a soft, lint-free cloth. Avoid abrasive cloths, towels, paper towels or similar items.

• Avoid excessive wiping, which might cause damage.

• Keep liquids away from the product, unless otherwise noted for specific products.

• Don’t get moisture into any openings.

• Don’t use aerosol sprays, bleaches or abrasives.

• Don’t spray cleaners directly onto the item.

<strong>ANDROID, PIXEL</strong>

For the Pixel 3a and other Android phones, Google recommends screen disinfecting wipes or eyeglasses cleaner on the screen and ordinary household soap or cleaning wipes as needed. There are no restrictions on alcohol-based wipes.

<strong>COMPUTERS, TABLETS, KEYBOARDS, REMOTE CONTROLS AND MOUSES</strong>

• Unplug and remove batteries, if any.

• Spray 70 percent isopropyl alcohol on a cloth, never on the screen, keyboard or device.

• If using an alcohol wipe, make sure it is not dripping wet. Wring it out a bit first, as necessary, and then proceed. You do not want to drip liquid into any openings, especially a keyboard.

• Consider a wipeable cover for your laptop keyboard so you can disinfect it without suffering potential harm to the keyboard itself.

<strong>RESOURCES</strong>

The following disinfectants, approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, are good options for cleaning phones, devices, screens, remote controls and keyboards.

• SNiPER Hospital Disinfectant.

• Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol 70 percent.

• Alcohol wipes.

• Clorox Clean-Up with bleach.

• Clorox disinfecting wipes.

• Lysol disinfectant spray.

• Simple Green Clean Finish.