Your smartphone is something you carry with you almost constantly, or at least have conveniently nearby, and most people probably handle their phone dozens of times per day.

And when you use it, you are putting it and your hands right where doctors are telling us we shouldn't be putting our hands: up to our head, face, and ears.

So if you are worried about coronavirus contamination—and you should be, because experts say that viruses, including the coronavirus, can live on such glass and plastic surfaces for days—you might want to give the phone a thorough cleaning.

Lena Ciric, an environmental microbiologist with University College London gave a short video demonstration (link below) for BBC News to demonstrate how simple it is to clean your phone without causing any damage.

Make sure not to use any chemicals (like acetone or ammonia-based window cleaners), abrasive wipes, or hand gels on the phone, as they may damaage the protective layer covering the screen.

Soap and water are actually fine for this purpose, as long as you remove the protective cover and make sure not to get water or liquid in the devices various ports or openings.

Ciric says that a fine, clean microfibre cloth—one for wiping and another one for drying—can safely remove most bacteria and viruses from a phone surface.

(Apple says that iPhones can be safely cleaned with the small alcohol swabs found on pharmacy shelves. In Vancouver, some pharmacies stock them behind the counter; ask the pharmacist.)

Watch this short video for a complete tutorial, including proof that such cleaning reduces the viral amd bacterial loads on such surfaces to hospitals' surgical-surface standards.

And, yes, you still have to wash your hands regularly and thoroughly to prevent quick recontamination of your phone.

But you were doing that already anyhow, weren't you?