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FIGHT PHONE FILTH
INTRO
It’s just as well you can’t see what’s crawling around the mouthpiece of your
mobile phone! We’ve been looking at various ways to zap phone bugs -- the sort
that move...
COPY
Your mobile phone is covered -- inside and
out -- with a heaving mass of bacteria, all sorts of unpleasant micro
organisms, skin secretions, spittle, a thin layer of greasy slime and an evil
brew of airborne contaminants. And you’re about to put it up to your
mouth...
If any of the tabloid papers read that we can
probably look forward to yet another mobile phone health scare. Nevertheless
there is a very good case for keeping your phone clean, especially if it’s used
by several people. The atmosphere in and around the microphone cavity can be
warm and moist, an excellent breeding ground for bacteria in fact. Doubtless a
good few colds and sore throats have been spread by phone sharing. You might
also be interested to know the agents for several hundred other communicable
diseases thrive in such conditions.
You could just dunk your phone in a tub of
Dettol but we’re fairly sure -- though we haven’t actually tried it -- that
this would wreak havoc with the microchips inside, not to mention giving it rather
strong smell. There are plenty of effective ways to clean your phone --
including most general-purpose household cleaners -- however it seems accessory
companies are missing a trick and during the course of the research for this
feature we didn’t come across any products specifically designed for cleaning
mobile phones. Not for much longer we’d guess.
We’ve managed to find a range of cleaning
products that claim to be suitable for phones, among other things, and we’ve
identified several others that we reckon could prove quite effective. They fell
into four basic categories: moist disposable wipes, blowers, liquids and foams,
and dry cleaning cloths. Following a week of intensive testing we’ve now got
the cleanest, purest, sweetest-smelling phones in the UK, though it’s clear
from our survey no one product does the whole job, and we suggest using a
combination of cleaners, maybe someone will put together a kit?
The tests are very straightforward. We assess how easy the product is to use,
how effective it is at removing stubborn grime, how well it gets into nooks and
crannies, claimed anti-bacterial properties, the smell it leaves behind --
remember it’s going to be very close to your nose -- the safety of the
chemicals involved (both to you and the phone) and lastly, value for money.
ALLSOP CLEANING TOWELETTES
Large (280 x 200mm) individually-wrapped
‘wet’ cleaner wipes, generously impregnated with a cocktail of chemicals,
including a plasticizer, for buffing up cases, an anti-static ingredient, to
prevent a build up of dust, and a germicide cleaning agent. Excellent
general-purpose wipe for all surfaces and getting between the keys, quite good
at removing slimy deposits too. A slightly acidic chemical smell, but not too
unpleasant. A touch pricey.
Make/model Allsop
Cleaning Towellettes
Typical price
£4.99 for 10
Type/method individually
packed moist wipes
Obtainable from PC World
Effectiveness ****
Ease of use ****
Detoxification ****
Smell ***
Safety ****
Value for money ***
WHAT CELLPHONE RATING 80%
FALCON DUST-OFF
Judging by the warnings on the can,
difluroethane gas is dodgy stuff. Don’t clean your phone in a confined space,
squirt it in your ear or mouth and don’t smoke when you’re using it! The
manufacturers also caution the liquid can discolour plastic, you have been
warned. The trigger action can is highly pressurised and it will dislodge the
stubbornest dust and fluff, it’s good for getting all the gunge out of
difficult to get at places but take care around the mike and earpiece the blast
could damage them. Quite expensive, but it lasts a long time. Use with a moist
wipe for all-round cleaning.
Make/model Falcon
XL Dust-Off
Typical price
£9.99 for 300ml
Type/method compressed
gas duster
Obtainable from PC World
Effectiveness ****
Ease of use ****
Detoxification ***
Smell *****
Safety **
Value for money ***
WHAT CELLPHONE RATING 82%
HAMA DUST EX
This is an industrial sized version of those
blower-brushes used to clean camera and camcorder lenses, but without the
brush. Squeeze the blower bulb for a fine jet of air. It’s quite powerful, but
hard work -- probably good for developing finger muscles. It can shift light
contamination but it’s no use against slime and grime, so it should be used in
conjunction with a wipe or cloth.
Make/model Hama
Dust Ex
Typical price
£7.99
Type/method hand-pumped
blower
Obtainable from good accessory dealers
Effectiveness ***
Ease of use ****
Detoxification ***
Smell *****
Safety *****
Value for money ***
WHAT CELLPHONE RATING 78%
HAMA MICRO OPTIC CLEANER
Micro-fibre cloths are brilliant. They were
originally developed for cleaning lenses but the hollow fibres soak up all sort
of deposits, without leaving any residue or smearing, and it can be washed and
used again. Not so good at removing sticky sludge and it doesn’t get into small
crevices but good for a regular wipe over -- display windows come up a treat.
Make/model Hama
Micro Optic Cleaner
Typical price
£2.99
Type/method micro-fibre
cleaning cloths
Obtainable from good accessory dealers
Effectiveness ****
Ease of use ****
Detoxification ***
Smell *****
Safety *****
Value for money ****
WHAT CELLPHONE RATING 85%
ROLTECH FAX AND PHONE CLEANER KIT
The six moist wipes in this kit come in three
sizes (two of each). The small ones are for phones, the middle-sized ones are
good for cleaning larger hard surfaces and the big ones are used on fax
machines. The cloths are very heavily impregnated with fluid and they leave a
slightly sticky residue but it soon evaporates. Reasonably effective and the
smell is not overpowering.
Make/model Roltech
Fax and Phone Cleaner Kit
Typical price
£4.10 for 6 wipes
Type/method moist
cleaner wipes
Obtainable from Staples Office Supplies
Effectiveness ****
Ease of use ****
Detoxification ***
Smell ***
Safety ****
Value for money ***
WHAT CELLPHONE RATING 75%
SAPONA TELEPHONE SANITISER
This is a phone product, and the can mentions
mobiles, so it should be very safe. The pump-action can is eco-friendly too.
Just spay a couple of squirts on to a lint-free cloth and start scrubbing. Good
value, the detergent ingredient is effective on grime and it leaves a very
pleasant small. Recommended.
Make/model Sapona
Telephone Sanitiser
Typical price
£3.51 for 250ml
Type/method pump-action
cleaning fluid
Obtainable from Staples Office Supplies
Effectiveness ****
Ease of use ****
Detoxification *****
Smell ****
Safety ****
Value for money ****
WHAT CELLPHONE RATING 88%
SAPONA TELEPHONE WIPES
This tub of wipes is very convenient though
the cloths, which measure 180 x 130 mm are not very big, and they don’t feel
particularly moist. The cleaning action isn’t especially good and it may take
two or three wipes to shift ground-in dirt. The smell isn’t too bad, it has
slightly vinegarish overtones.
Make/model Sapona
Telephone Wipes
Typical price
£6.69 for 100
Type/method moist
disposable wipes
Obtainable from Staples Office Supplies
Effectiveness ****
Ease of use ****
Detoxification ****
Smell ****
Safety ****
Value for money ***
WHAT CELLPHONE RATING 80%
TECHCESSORIES FOAMING CLEANER
One small squirt delivers a mass of seething
foam, that gets into all the awkward little places. It’s excellent at removing
grime and when it’s wiped off surfaces come up clean and shiny. The smell is
very pleasant, a cross between furniture polish and new cars. One of the best,
good value, recommended.
Make/model Techcessories
Foaming Cleaner
Typical price
£2.27 for 200ml
Type/method aerosol
cleaning fluid
Obtainable from Tandy
Effectiveness *****
Ease of use *****
Detoxification ***
Smell ****
Safety ***
Value for money *****
WHAT CELLPHONE RATING 88%
WH SMITHS HARD SURFACE WIPES
This tub of 100 wipes (each 180 x 135mm) is
soaked in a solution that smells a bit like a proprietary window cleaner,
they’re quite damp and do a fair job of removing sticky slime but you may need
two or three of them to do the job properly. Good value.
Make/model WH
Smiths Hard Surface Wipes
Typical price
£3.00 for £100
Type/method moist
cleaner wipes
Obtainable from WH Smiths
Effectiveness ****
Ease of use ****
Detoxification ***
Smell **
Safety ****
Value for money *****
WHAT CELLPHONE RATING 85%
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Ó R. Maybury 1996 3105
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