You Need to Disinfect Your Phone. Here’s How.

As Covid-19 spreads, more questions arise. ‘Elemental’ has answers.

Dana G Smith
Elemental

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Photo: Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images

Follow Elemental’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus outbreak here.

AsAs of publishing time, there have been 554 reported cases of Covid-19 in 34 states across the U.S., and 22 people have died. (You can track the spread of the virus using this helpful tool built by engineers at Johns Hopkins University.) As the disease spreads, people are understandably becoming more anxious about infection, and sometimes you want more detailed prevention tips than just “wash your hands.” As additional questions arise, Elemental is committed to providing science-backed answers. Here’s some advice about keeping clean.

What are the best soaps, hand sanitizers, and cleaning products to disinfect me and my surroundings?

The good news is the new coronavirus seems to be pretty easy to kill with common soaps and detergents.

“These are enveloped viruses, which means they… desecrate pretty quickly and they’re a little fragile,” says George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.

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