Human beings are filthy, and as we use our phones anywhere and everywhere, we expose our phones to all that filth as well. And since you can't give your phone a hot, soapy shower every day like you do yourself, you should build yourself a cleaning kit to keep the grime and nastiness under control before those germs migrate back from your phone to you and get you sick.
Clean screen on the go
ZEISS Mobile Screen Wipes (60ct Box)
Staff pick
If you tend to need your screen clean when you're not home with your spritzer bottles, I absolutely adore these single-serve wipes. I keep a few of them in my bag for wiping my screen after it gets all sweaty and grimy when I'm out and about.
Let there be light
PhoneSoap 3 UV Cell Phone Sanitizer
This phone-sized tanning bed uses UV lights to kill the surface bacteria on your phone in order to keep the germs on your phone from getting you sick. I also run car keys and my credit cards through here from time to time.
Skip the Q-tips
DanziX Phone Cleaning Kit
The tips on these swabs are shaped to better seek out the dust and grime lingering in the nooks and crannies on your phone, and while the wide flat tips are better suited to Lightning ports, the brush works well on USB-C ports.
Pocket-friendly
MightyMicroCloth Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (6-Pack)
Microfiber cloths are the best for cleaning glasses and glass phone screens, but just having one loose in your pocket gets it dirty. This 6-pack has the clothes in plastic envelopes so they're easy to carry while keeping clean.
Keep dirt out
innoGadgets USB-C Silicone Dust Plug (10-Pack)
If you use wireless charging regularly — or even if you just tend to accumulate more lint and dirt in your USB-C and headphone ports — use these plugs to keep dust out. The headphone plug also doubles as a SIM tray puller.
A clean screen is a happy screen
WHOOSH! Screen Cleaner Kit
If smudged, grimed-up screens are the bane of your cleaning existence, this kit is great for keeping around the house. It's alcohol and ammonia-free and comes with a microfiber cloth for streak-free, lint-free wipe-downs.
Make your own solution
Sinide Plastic Spray Bottles 30ML (4-Pack)
If you want to make a disinfectant spray you can use on your phone, you'll want a spray bottle that makes a fine mist, like these small atomizer bottles. Just remember: spray the microfiber cloth, do not spray your phone directly.
For bigger screens
Eco-Fused Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (5-Pack)
Microfiber cloths are often small and pocket-friendly, but bigger cloths like those in this multi-pack are great for a wiping down tablets, touchscreen laptops, and any other glass surface you regularly use. The different textures on each side can help clean and then shine up your screen.
Ya filthy animal
PocketBac Hand Sanitizer (5-Pack)
Want to know the best way to keep your phone from getting all grimy and nasty to begin with? Keep your hands clean! Hand sanitizer can help you minimize the amount of oil and grime you smear on your phone, period,
Be gentle, please
Most of the time when I need to clean my phone, I primarily need to clean my screen, and pre-moistened are the perfect way to get a streak-free clean without needing harsher chemicals. I also supplement these screen cleanings with deeper UV treatments in my , because I spend a lot of time at theme parks and get exposed to more people — and their germs — than normal.
You want to avoid abrasives and harsh chemicals when cleaning your phone, as abrasives can scratch the screen and chemicals can eat away at protective coatings. Alcohol and ammonia-free solutions are preferable when cleaning a phone, but if you want a cheap, easy solution, dilute isopropyl alcohol and water in a . To disinfect your phone, just spray a microfiber cloth instead of the screen and use sparingly.
Clean screen on the go
ZEISS Mobile Screen Wipes (60ct Box)
Staff pick
If you tend to need your screen clean when you're not home with your spritzer bottles, I absolutely adore these single-serve wipes. I keep a few of them in my bag for wiping my screen after it gets all sweaty and grimy when I'm out and about.
Let there be light
PhoneSoap 3 UV Cell Phone Sanitizer
This phone-sized tanning bed uses UV lights to kill the surface bacteria on your phone in order to keep the germs on your phone from getting you sick. I also run car keys and my credit cards through here from time to time.
Skip the Q-tips
DanziX Phone Cleaning Kit
The tips on these swabs are shaped to better seek out the dust and grime lingering in the nooks and crannies on your phone, and while the wide flat tips are better suited to Lightning ports, the brush works well on USB-C ports.
Pocket-friendly
MightyMicroCloth Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (6-Pack)
Microfiber cloths are the best for cleaning glasses and glass phone screens, but just having one loose in your pocket gets it dirty. This 6-pack has the clothes in plastic envelopes so they're easy to carry while keeping clean.
Keep dirt out
innoGadgets USB-C Silicone Dust Plug (10-Pack)
If you use wireless charging regularly — or even if you just tend to accumulate more lint and dirt in your USB-C and headphone ports — use these plugs to keep dust out. The headphone plug also doubles as a SIM tray puller.
A clean screen is a happy screen
WHOOSH! Screen Cleaner Kit
If smudged, grimed-up screens are the bane of your cleaning existence, this kit is great for keeping around the house. It's alcohol and ammonia-free and comes with a microfiber cloth for streak-free, lint-free wipe-downs.
Make your own solution
Sinide Plastic Spray Bottles 30ML (4-Pack)
If you want to make a disinfectant spray you can use on your phone, you'll want a spray bottle that makes a fine mist, like these small atomizer bottles. Just remember: spray the microfiber cloth, do not spray your phone directly.
For bigger screens
Eco-Fused Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (5-Pack)
Microfiber cloths are often small and pocket-friendly, but bigger cloths like those in this multi-pack are great for a wiping down tablets, touchscreen laptops, and any other glass surface you regularly use. The different textures on each side can help clean and then shine up your screen.
Ya filthy animal
PocketBac Hand Sanitizer (5-Pack)
Want to know the best way to keep your phone from getting all grimy and nasty to begin with? Keep your hands clean! Hand sanitizer can help you minimize the amount of oil and grime you smear on your phone, period,
Be gentle, please
Most of the time when I need to clean my phone, I primarily need to clean my screen, and pre-moistened are the perfect way to get a streak-free clean without needing harsher chemicals. I also supplement these screen cleanings with deeper UV treatments in my , because I spend a lot of time at theme parks and get exposed to more people — and their germs — than normal.
You want to avoid abrasives and harsh chemicals when cleaning your phone, as abrasives can scratch the screen and chemicals can eat away at protective coatings. Alcohol and ammonia-free solutions are preferable when cleaning a phone, but if you want a cheap, easy solution, dilute isopropyl alcohol and water in a . To disinfect your phone, just spray a microfiber cloth instead of the screen and use sparingly.