Smartphone makers like Apple, Samsung, and LG aren't really selling you phones.
They're selling you petri dishes that accumulate germs, dirt, and grease that just happen to make calls and run Snapchat.
It's not breaking news. Several reports have been published telling us of all the horrors that accumulate on our smartphones, including fecal matter and a bunch of other harmful bacteria that are hard to pronounce. Some even claim our phones have 10 times more germs than a toilet seat.
So, how do you keep it clean?
For iPhones, Apple suggests using a "soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth." But that only serves to clean surface dirt to make your iPhone pretty again. It's not going to get rid of the gross stuff you can't see.
Jason Greenspan, CEO of a company that makes cleaning products for screened gadgets called Whoosh! told Tech Insider that "cleaning your phone with water or your shirt is similar to trying to clean your hands with just water or wiping them on your pants." Basically, the "damp cloth" Apple suggests will only clean the surface of your phone's screen, but it won't deal with the really nasty stuff.
But wait! Don't reach for the nearest household cleaners, like Windex or 409. While that stuff will clean away the germs, it'll also erode the oil-resistant coating that helps keep fingerprints and smudges off the screen.
If you want to maintain the oil-resistant coating and give your phone that deep clean it really, really needs, you need a cleaning product specially designed for gadgets with screens.
Whoosh sent me a sample of its germ-killing, phone cleaning liquid, which included a microfiber cloth ($7.99 or $18.99 for a larger size) that won't scratch my iPhone's screen. It's also fine for cleaning cases and screen protectors.
Using Whoosh! didn't make me "feel better" because my iPhone had fewer germs. But it did give my iPhone a nice polished look. It also adds a "nano-thin, invisible coating" that makes my iPhone's screen as oil-resistant as it was when I first got it. And after using it a once or twice a day for about a week, it also felt smoother and cleaner in my hands like it did when I first took it out of the box.
Most importantly, it gave me peace of mind that my phone was home to less fecal matter and bacteria that could make me sick or just gross me out.
There are several other options similar to Woosh like Phonesoap ($23.99), ZAGGfoam Antibacterial Cleaner ($4.99), and iCloth Cleaning Wipes ($24.99).
