Technology swamps our homes. But we seldom think of their hygiene. How harmful are gadgets that are dirty? How can they be cleaned?
Earphones: Wearing earphones or headphones can be a set-up in causing acne breakouts and skin infections. This happens as the sweat and moisture collected around the earphones compresses your skin and encourages bacteria to multiply.
So use a cloth dipped in soapy water to wipe the earphones. Also a make-up removal tissue can work wonders. If there are silicone detachables or if you need to deep clean in the metal parts, you can use a dry brush.
Don’t share earbuds. Harmful bacteria can transfer quite easily from one’s ear to another. Over-the-ear headphones should be wiped daily and your skin cleaned to avoid transferring the bacteria. If you have leather mufflers, a weekly wipe is advisable.
Smartphones: Studies show smartphones can be covered in up to 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Use a microfibre cloth to clean the screen regularly. For a deeper clean, make sure your device is off. Then disinfect and remove excess dirt by using a mixture of water, alcohol or water and vinegar.
When you do a full cavity clean, make sure you turn off the phone and remove the battery and SIM card. Don’t use spray cleaning solutions directly on the screen, put it on a cloth first. Droplets may get into places like speakers and microphones and damage them. Wipe the screens every other day. For deep cleaning, every one or two weeks will do.
Laptops: Your notebook keyboard holds five times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Studies have found more than 3,000 organisms per square inch on keyboards and more than 1,600 on mice. They can lead to diseases and food poisoning as the organisms can be transferred when you touch your mouth or eyes.
To clean the screen, mouse and other flat surfaces, the same process described above works fine. For the keyboards, make sure the notebook is off/keyboard is unplugged. Use a big soft brush to dust it or you can spray compressed air to remove the dirt between the keys, this also works to clean inside your mouse. A cloth with alcohol can be used to remove stains. Don’t use a vacuum cleaner. These gadgets can be cleaned once a month or more - depending on how often you have lunch on it!
The author is managing director of Helping Middle East, www.helpling.ae, an online platform for booking cleaners in the UAE.
