Can I Use Rubbing Alcohol to Clean my Phone?

Do you know there are 25,127 bacteria per square inch of your mobile phone? Yes, even the toilet seat has 1,201 bacteria per square inch. With this estimate, your mobile phone is more than 20 times dirtier than your toilet seat. Grossest of all. Isn’t it?

mobile phones pick up bacteria everywhere they go, and thus they are the dirtiest daily use objects. That brings up the major concern of disinfecting and sanitizing Mobile Phones, especially in the times of Novel Coronavirus.

Even the healthcare experts suggest cleaning MobilePhones once a day as a precautionary measure for being safe from deadly viruses and infections.

But how? Is it Ok to use liquids for disinfecting MobilePhone? Is Rubbing Alcohol going to disinfect your mobile phone? We have answers to all your queries. Have a look:

Can I Use Rubbing Alcohol to clean my phone screen?

Yes, Sterilising agents, such as Rubbing Alcohol, are among the best solvents for cleaning Phone screens. According to experts, 70% Rubbing (Isopropyl) Alcohol is ideal for disinfecting mobile phones and other gadgets.

70% Isopropyl is the highest safe concertation of Alcohol because of its correct proportion of Alcohol and water. On the one hand, it disinfects surfaces, whereas, on the other hand, it evaporates soon enough to save gadgets from any moisture damage.

When it comes to cleaning Phone screens, Rubbing Alcohol may not be the necessary but surely one handy solution.

Does Alcohol damage the Phone screen?

Rubbing Alcohol is an age-old solution for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, and it goes handy for Mobiles as well. However, because the pure form of Alcohol can strip your Phone’s oleophobic and hydrophobic coatings,

Oleophobic and hydrophobic coatings on your Mobile keep water, oil, and moisture from absorbing into the surface and causing damage. However, when you let pure concentration of Alcohol sit/ expose on your phone’s screen for long, you are inviting damage on your way.

Can you use 91% isopropyl alcohol to clean my Phone?

Technicians at Mobile stores use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol for cleaning different types of gadgets. However, when it comes to doing the same at home and frequently, one must stick to 70% Isopropyl. Reason being,

91% IsopropylAlcohol is one of the pure and strong versions of Rubbing Alcohol. Though it does the disinfecting job wonderfully, one should not rely upon it for frequent usage.

Due to the higher concentration, 91% Isopropyl may damage the uppermost protective coating of your Mobile, leaving it vulnerable to certain issues.

However, if you clean your Mobile Phone screen once in a while, using 91% Isopropylit may not lead towards harming the device.

Safety tips with using 91% Isopropyl or 99% Isopropyl Alcohol in your Phone or other electronic gadgets:

Always keep 91% and 99% Isopropyl away from any ignition sources.
Be extra cautious of the solution you use. 91% and 99% Isopropyl are highly flammable, both in their liquid and Vapor form.
Breathing mist of 91% and 99% Isopropyl can prove dangerous.
When used in a closed setting, 91% and 99% Isopropyl may lead to dizziness. Thus, every time you work with such solvents, make sure the place is well-ventilated. Also, ensure that you in no way are consuming the solvent (Ingesting, Inhaling, or Absorbing).
Never use Rubbing Alcohol or any liquid for cleaning your MobilePhone while it is still charging. If done, it may lead to an explosion.
91% and 99% Isopropyl, though it is safe for industrial use, we strongly condemn its household usage.

How to clean your Mobile Phone by using Rubbing Alcohol?

Because Rubbing Alcohol is a liquid product, we emphasize using it in the least amount on any gadget.

Here is our take on how you can use Rubbing Alcohol for cleaning your Phone. Have a look:

Firstly, Unplug your Phone from all the Power Sources. Thereafter, switch off the Phone.
Now using a Microfibre cloth, wipe off all the dust and dirt from your Mobile.
Further, flick the Microfibre cloth, ensuring it gets dirt and dust-free.
On the same cloth, spray 70% Isopropyl, enough for cleaning the Phone back and forth.
Now with the wet part of the cloth, wipe your Mobile lightly.
Once done, ensure no Isopropyl moisture is left on your Mobile’s surface. If there is some, clean it with a dry facial wipe.
Now you can turn on the Phone and start using it again.

Tip: Cleaning Mobile Phones and daily use of tech gadgets once a day is advisable.

Things to avoid while cleaning/ disinfecting Mobile Phone:

Never spray IsopropylAlcohol or any liquid directly upon your Phone.
Do not submerge your Phone into Rubbing Alcohol.
Keep every single open port of your Mobile safe from Isopropyl. Make sure you do not use any liquid over the charging port, headset port, over speaker surface, near the gaps for button and gaps around your Phone’s edges.
Never let Isopropyl sit over your Phone’s surface for more than 10 seconds. If happens the same, your Phone might absorb the liquid, leading to unreversible damages in the future.

Do Alcohol wipes damage the Phone screen?

Today while you check the gadget market, you will find several antibacterial Phone wipes. These wipes are made up of cotton, wood pulp, rayon fibers, polyester, or polypropylene.

Further, the moisture content in them comes from Rubbing Alcohol and other preservatives that prevent the growth of bacteria and molds.

For the concern whether these wipes are safe or not,

Disinfectant Alcohol wipes are safe to use on the Phone, only if the Alcohol content in them is 50% or 70%. The concentration even a number above that can damage your display oleophobic coating, resulting in wearing down the screen. Thus, every time you buy disinfecting wipes for your Phone, do check for the Alcohol concentration (percentage) on its ingredient list.

Can I use sanitizer to clean my Phone screen?

Does sanitizer damage the Phone screen? As long as your sanitizer is an effective disinfectant, you can use it on your Phone’s screen. However, pouring down sanitizer gel/ liquid on a MobilePhone and spreading it with hands is not recommended.

Instead, take 2 to 3 drops of hand sanitizer on a microfibre cloth and use it for wiping your MobilePhone.

As long as you are using it in the right quantity, required frequency, and proper method, sanitizer won’t damage your Phone’s screen.

For Further Reading

Wrapping Up…

Moving towards the end, we hope you now know all about cleaning and disinfecting MobilePhones with Rubbing Alcohol.

Though along with your Mobile, we also emphasize cleaning your Phone case and its accessories. You can follow the same cleaning procedure as that of Mobile Phones for both accessories and cases.

Also, while you are out in public, make sure to use your Phone the least you can. Or do not access your Phone until you have washed or sanitized your hands. This will keep the device from catching germs and bacteria quite often.

Logan Jenkins

My name is Logan, and I’m a 36-year-old dad who owns a small pressure-washing company in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. My main goal with rubbing-alcohol.com is to show you how versatile isopropyl rubbing alcohol can be! I hope. You find it useful.

We're an affiliate! We may earn a small commission when you make a purchase from product links at no additional cost to you!