The focus of many countries around the world during the current health crisis linked to the emerging "Corona" virus, on personal hygiene.
Despite the advice that calls on people to pay attention to the frequency of washing their hands, experts wonder about the extent of the packages used to ensure the cleanliness of smartphones that people hold their hands constantly.
In this regard, the company "Kaspersky" was keen to give some advice on keeping portable devices free of viruses.
It was scary to think about the numbers of bacteria and their types that live on portable personal devices, even before the outbreak of the "Corona" epidemic, according to Kaspersky security researcher, Maher Yamout, who confirmed in a statement issued by the company, that the ability of the virus to remain at a temperature The room and causing infections from the surfaces of metals, glass, ceramics and plastics for several days "necessitates the use of effective methods to sterilize our portable devices."
Yamut explained that the virus can reach the phone or tablet in two ways; either from the spray of a cough of an infected person close to the device nearby, or from a hand that has touched a surface contaminated with the virus, which may be a door handle, ATM buttons, a shelf or a product in a store or the like that.
He added that the first method of transmitting the infection remains less likely, unless the person hands over the phone to an infected person and makes it difficult for him, while transmitting the infection by hand depends on the duration of the contact and the nature of the microorganisms, but the lack of reliable data on the emerging virus until now remains a cause for more caution .
Yamout emphasized that it is necessary for the user to sterilize his mobile phone when returning to the home if he had to go to the store to obtain basic commodities, indicating that there are many common household products that can eliminate the Corona virus in an effective way, such as ethanol alcohol and isopropanol alcohol Hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite.
He pointed out that isopropanol alcohol is considered less harmful to the screen coating which allows the fingers to slide on them without covering them with fingerprints, which makes it preferred for use in sterilization in the form of sprinkles and wipes or as wet wipes.
He stated that it is preferable not to use ethanol and hydrogen peroxide except when isopropanol is not available, as these products with repeated use, and sometimes even once, can cause harm to the anti-fat coating.
Yamout said that he prefers the concentration of alcohol to be between 70 and 80%, given that pure alcohol evaporates faster than it should to get the best result of sterilization, explaining that the lower the concentration, the less efficient the product will be in killing viruses, so alcoholic beverages, for example, cannot be relied on, In sterilization instead of ethyl alcohol, the glass cleaner is not as effective as isopropanol because it contains much less alcohol, and the disinfection solution should be left on the surface for about a minute to ensure its effectiveness.
He added that it is also important not to pour sterile liquid into the charging and charging holes of the smartphone, even if it is waterproof, and it is sufficient to soak a piece of cotton in the liquid and wipe the sides of the device with it carefully and accurately without strong pressure.
And Yamout continued that the same sterilization procedure should be applied to any other tools used in public places, such as tablets, laptops, smart watches, bracelets, headphones, etc., noting that, however, the product's website should always be checked Whether the manufacturer has any recommendations on materials and the most appropriate way to clean the device.