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Health & Fitness

Keep Your Wireless Devices Germ Free This Flu Season

If you're like most people now-a-days your mobile device or tablet has become another appendage, so keeping devices clean is a great defense.

Here’s a fun fact: each square inch of your cell phone contains roughly 25,000 germs, making it one of the filthiest things you come in contact with on a daily basis. 

In fact most cell phones are dirtier than:

·         Toilet seat

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·         Kitchen Counter

·         Pet food dish

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·         Check out screen

·         Door knob

(Source: Mashable.com)

With flu season just around the corner, it’s time to start taking care of yourself and everyone around you. The Center for Disease Control says, “The single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine each season.”

Another great defense is keeping yourself and your surroundings germ free. The CDC says washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If you’re like most people now-a-days your mobile device or tablet has become another appendage, so keeping devices clean is a great defense.


Disinfect your gadgets at home, at work, and on the go.

Before you clean off your gadgets, unplug them and power them down. Do not let your electronic device soak in any type of cleaner. No amount of rice can fix an alcohol based bath for your phone.

USA Today recommends avoiding alcohol-based cleaners and abrasive cloths or paper towels on touch screens and computer monitors.

If using a spray cleaner, don’t spray it directly onto the device. Spray it on a soft cloth and wipe down the front and back of the device.

Apple notes on their website that device owners should not use window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, alcohol, ammonia, or abrasives to clean Apple products.

Screen protectors are a great way to protect your phone. They can be wiped down more thoroughly, with more powerful disinfectant and can be thrown away, and replaced with fresh, clean ones.

It’s also helpful to avoid sharing your device with other people. As much as your little nephew would like to play Candy Crush while at the dinner table, you don’t know how many sick kids he has been around at day care.

Don’t stop at cleaning your phone or tablet. When is the last time you used a can of compressed air to clean out your keyboard?

Keep a container of disinfectant wipes at your desk and wipe down your keyboard, mouse, and desk phone daily.

Think of how often you touch different, germ infested surfaces throughout the day. Protect yourself and others by washing your hands frequently, and wiping down your devices and works spaces daily.

For more information on how to protect yourself during the flu season, explore the CDC website.

Did you know that scientists now know when you'll get the flu nine weeks before it happens? That gives you plenty of time to stock up on disinfectant and soft clothes. Get to scrubbing!

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