Have you ever cleaned your cell phone? Do you know all the places you cell phone has been? Cell phones are with us all the time. We keep them in our pocket, in our purse, in our school backpack… We use them at school, at home, at work, in our office, in the bathrooms and at public places such as: restaurants, hospitals, public transports (buses, subways and trains), gyms… We put our cell phones everywhere: in the desk, in the bed, in restaurants’ tables… Moreover, our cell phones are warm enough to make them perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

According to research carried out by researchers at the University of London, “one in six cell phones have been found to have fecal matter on them”. And “20 percent of the cell phones tested came up positive for MRSA” MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. Most MRSA infections are skin infections according to a research carried out by  University of Arizona analysts.

“25 percent of cell phones have 18 times the bacteria count as a handle on public restroom toilet” according to a research made by an expert for British Which magazine. “Almost four out of every ten people bring the phone into the bathroom for use” according to a study, “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users“, from Google. And  “up to 1 in 5 Americans have dropped their phone in the toilet” according to a study from Plaxo, a company that provides online address book and social networking services .

So, even if we do not think about it, our cell phones have a lot of germs and need to be constantly cleaned.

Have you ever tried to clean your cell phone but you do not know how to do it? Do you think that giving your cell phone a wipe is enough? What can you use to clean it: alcohol, glass cleaner, cleaning wipes, antibacterial gel or an antibacterial spray? Are these techniques and products effective? Are you scared of damaging your cell phone? Do you know something about all the existing techniques that allow you to clean your cell phone? Do you need to clean each part of your cell phone separately and with a different product?

Do you think that a product that clean your cell phone without using liquids that can damage your cell phone is the solution? A product that cleans the  whole cell phone at once and where your intervention is not needed? A product that cleans your cell phone for you?  Let’s discover one of the latest trends in cleaning cell phones with: PhoneSoap, a new device just launched by an American company and gathering all the characteristics mentioned above.

PhoneSoap is a small box that sanitizes your cell phone while you charge it. But how exactly does this device work? What is the technique used?

PhoneSoap  works with UV-C light (UV-C is part of the ultraviolet light spectrum that is filtered out by the earth’ s atmosphere. The “ C” stands for the particular frequency of UV light that kills germs. In fact , the UV- C light alters the genetic structure of the germs and that is why they die). It has UV-C lights on two sides of its interior and simultaneous clean both: the top and the bottom of your cell phone. With this device, users have two options: sanitize their cell phones or sanitize and charge them at the same time.

If users want only to clean their cell phones, they just have to plug their mobiles into the mains inside the box for a brief period of time. Three to five minutes of UV exposure will be enough for complete sanitization. But, if users want to sanitize and charge their cell phones at the same time, they have to plug in their mobiles using the micro USB or Apple 30-pin USB cord provided with the product.

The United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and Homeland Security have proven that UV- C light kills almost 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses. It is a very effective technique that is completely safe for humans and that it is used in several institutions such as hospitals, restaurants, hotels and public restrooms to sanitize. A lot of products with UV-C light included  already exist: air sanitizers, toothbrush sanitizers, sanitizing vacuums… So it is not something completely new! This product is already available for preorders. www.phonesoapbox.com

But PhoneSoap is not the only product employing this technology to clean mobiles, other devices that use Ultraviolet Light to sanitize your cell phone already exist, such as: The Violight Germ Eliminating Smartphone Sanitizer, “CellBlaster” by Spectroline… but none of them charge your cell phone at the same time it is sanitized. 

www.hammacher.com/Product/79181?source=cj&cm_mmc=CJ-_-2296962-_-2868751-_-Hammacher+Product+Catalog www.cellblaster.net/content/product-description

So next time you use your cell phone or a friend’s cell phone think about all the germs these cell phones could have and make a little effort to clean your cell phone occasionally. Would you buy this product?