Did You Know Your Phone Can Carry the Coronavirus for Up to 9 Days? Yep, that’s right your phone could be carrying the coronavirus.
According to a German study, the coronavirus can live on surfaces like metal, glass, or plastic for up to nine days. And of course, our phones are made of metal, glass, and plastic and are constantly in our hands and close to our faces. So it's not only a smart idea to wash your hands frequently, but it’s also important to disinfect your phone, especially if you're like most and you always have your phone in your hand. A typical disinfectant is a solution that contains 0.1% sodium hypochlorite or 62 to 71% ethanol. Basically, an alcohol pad will work just fine
"You do not have to sneeze on a cell phone to transmit disease-causing organisms," Charles Gerba, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology at The University of Arizona.Gerba says. "What we found out in studying virus movement on surfaces in office buildings is that you touch a surface with a virus on it and then you place it on your cell phone." (A door handle, for example.)
"You then go home or to another location and you touch your phone again and, says, touch a table moving it to another location—great way to spread viruses around an office."
Günter Kampf, M.D., an associated professor of hygiene and environmental medicine at the University of Greifswald, is the lead researcher of the German paper.
In response to using cleaning products that contain the amounts of agents listed in the study, Geifswald said: "Check with the manufacturer. First, it should be effective against coronavirus (or commonly used other enveloped viruses used for disinfectant testing). Second, not all disinfectants are compatible with the material of the smartphone surface."
Gerba recommends an "alcohol wipe or a microfiber cloth."
"I would do it every time I have been out in public," he says.