How Clean is Your Cellphone?
Even before the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic people needed an easy and effective way to disinfect cell phones based on the understanding that the average cell phone contains tens of thousands of microorganisms at all times. Following the pandemic, however, there is a heightened need to keep cell phones clean, particularly because researchers say they are teeming with bacteria and microbes at any given moment.
When was the last time you used your cell phone? Maybe you just got off the phone with a coworker. Maybe you just liked your friend’s new post on Facebook. Or, maybe you are reading this very article from your cell phone. Regardless, many of us use our cell phones on a daily basis, and most of us consider our cell phones to be integral components of modern life.
Believe it or not, your cell phone is actually one of the dirtiest objects that you come in contact with on a daily basis. According to Time Magazine, your cellphone may be 10 Times Dirtier than your toilet seat. This might leave many with the question: “How, then, do you disinfect your cell phone?” This article will delve into the different options people have for disinfecting their cell phones, and discuss why UV Light Cell Phone Disinfection is the safest and most convenient way to keep your cell phone clean. 
Why is it so Important to Disinfect a Cell Phone?
Studies have shown that cell phone disinfection is incredibly important to maintaining a healthy and sanitary life. Cell phones, on average, harbor over 25,000 microorganisms per square inch! This is compared to 8,600 for a public doorknob, and 1,700 for your kitchen counter. Furthermore, cell phones facilitate bacterial longevity, and some bacteria have been shown to be able to live for up to 16 months on the screen of a cell phone. Despite their innocuous appearance, cell phones are incredibly dirty, and harbor a multitude of microbes that can pose dangers to your health.
The situation only worsens when you consider the ways we actually use our cell phones. 88% of people say that they use their cell phones while in the bathroom. When we speak on the phone, our phones touch our faces and go near our mouths. In many situations, we even share our cell phones with others. Given all of this, it is clear that cell phone disinfection should be an integral component of regular cell phone usage. And the best way to disinfect a cell phone is via UV light disinfection.
Despite UV light disinfection being the most effective method, there are many ways to disinfect a cell phone. Traditional cell phone cleaning would generally involve the use of chemical cleaning products. One would manually wipe the device with a chemical cleaner, trying to reach all of the surfaces on the cell phone. Though this is how a cell phone would normally be cleaned, there are a host of problems with this method.
First, cleaning products can be toxic to the environment and the product being cleaned. Chemical cleaning products can damage natural environments and can also be corrosive to the cell phone itself.
Second, chemical wipes and cleaning products have finite lifespans and are generally only good for one use. This creates large amounts of avoidable chemical waste, and replacing these products is very expensive.
Third, many cleaning products are actually harmful to the skin and can cause serious damage with prolonged exposure.
Fourth, chemical cleaning processes are susceptible to human error and are often imprecise.
Finally, traditional cleaning products leave behind residues which may lead some microbes to develop a resistance. This means that over time, the harmful microbes on your cell phone develop resistance to chemical cleaners.
How Does UV Disinfection Work?
Thankfully, ChargeTech offers an alternative to chemical cell phone cleaning. UV sterilization of cell phones eliminates all of the issues with traditional chemical cleaning methods. UV cell phone disinfection is safe and fast while also being user and environmentally friendly. It is also cost effective, incredibly efficacious and completely chemical-free.UV disinfection involves covering an object in germicidal UVC light. UVC light is defined as any light with a wavelength in the 100-280nm range, and wavelengths of 250-280nm are considered germicidal.
UVC light from the sun is “filtered” by the Earth’s atmosphere and does not naturally reach its surface. This is why UVC light is able to kill harmful microbes—their DNA has no natural resistance. When microbial cells interact with UVC light, the cells’ DNA is damaged and degrades. Specifically, UVC light interacts with the nucleotide base thymine and stimulates the production and substitution of a thymine dimer in the microbe’s DNA. This prevents the microbe’s DNA from properly coding new cellular proteins, which both prevents the microbe from replicating and kills it.
According to the FDA :
"UVC radiation is a known disinfectant for air, water, and nonporous surfaces. UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria, such as tuberculosis."
The germicidal properties of 250-280nm UVC light have been studied extensively, and studies have proven that UVC light kills a multitude of viruses and bacteria including but not limited to:
- Sars-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19)
- OC-43 (human coronavirus)
- MRSA
- VRE
- C. Diff
- E. Coli
With sufficient light intensity, UVC light can kill 99.9% of any of these viruses or bacteria. ChargeTech UVC products provide a barrier between the user and UVC bulbs, so products are 100% safe for the user.
Additionally, UVC disinfection is safe for your cell phone and does not corrode it like liquid and chemical cleaners. It is important to note that UVC light sterilizes, meaning it kills microbes but does not remove dead microbes from a surface.
UVC light disinfection is safer, more efficient, more convenient, and more environmentally-friendly than chemical disinfection techniques. This is why ChargeTech produces an entire suite of products which allow users to disinfect their cell phones.
How Do ChargeTech Products Keep Your Smartphones Clean and Bacteria Free?
CleanCharge by ChargeTech is a collection of antimicrobial and UV disinfection products that are specifically designed to improve the health and safety of today’s classrooms and workplaces. We are dedicated to delivering the next generation of products that meet the highest standards of efficacy in disinfection technology in order to create a cleaner and safer world for us all. Our new generation of UVC products are perfect high-volume cell phone disinfection solutions. These products are described below:
10 Bay UV Clean and Charge AC Cabinet 2.0
$1,595.00
The 10 Bay UV Clean & Charge Cabinet 2.0 conveniently charges and cleans up to 10 devices at once. This unit is ideal for charging a high volume of cell phones or other personal devices. The simple One-Touch control system makes it easy to control the charging and UVC disinfection cycles with the touch of a button.
This second generation of our best-selling UV Clean and Charge Carts comes with several updates to improve the efficacy of UVC disinfection. Newly updated in 2021, the interior of these carts is now made from reflective stainless steel and comes with white dividers that increase the exposure of UVC light on your devices.
The unit’s smart internal cooling system prevents overheating and promotes a more efficient charge. This new and improved unit is the perfect charging solution for healthcare, education, and hospitality clients.
30 Bay UV Clean and Charge Cabinet 2.0
$2,695.00
The 30 Bay UV Clean & Charge Cart 2.0 conveniently charges and cleans up to 30 devices at once. This unit is ideal for a high volume of cell phones or other personal devices. The simple One-Touch control system makes it easy to control the charging and UVC disinfection cycles with the touch of a button.
This second generation of our best-selling UV Clean and Charge Carts comes with several updates to improve the efficacy of UVC disinfection. Newly updated in 2021, the interior of these carts is now made from reflective stainless steel and comes with white dividers that increase the exposure of UVC light on your devices.
The unit’s smart internal cooling system prevents overheating and promotes a more efficient charge. This new and improved unit is the perfect charging solution for healthcare, education, and hospitality clients.
ChargeTech is also a proud partner ofiCleanse, a worldwide leader in UVC personal device disinfection. Through this partnership, ChargeTech is now a licensed reseller of iCleanse’s newest cell phone disinfection product, the Swift UV.
The Swift UV is just what we need as we prepare to re-enter fast-paced environments like restaurants, shopping centers, retail stores, entertainment venues, airports, hotels, hospitals, schools, corporate campuses, and all corporate or public sector facilities.
ChargeTech has partnered with iCleanse to distribute their suite of patented UVC disinfection products in order to provide our clients with the best options available to keep their schools and workplaces pathogen-free.
