We all rely heavily on our cell phones and need them to work efficiently every day. For most of us, the first thing we think about when someone asks, "have you ever cleaned up your cell phone" is how to remove junk files and the hundreds of bad photos to gain some storage space.

But the first thing that should come to mind about cleaning a cell phone is removing the potentially deadly microbes and bacteria that are covering your phone every day. Each time you touch your phone, you transfer bacteria to and from your hands, face, and every surface that the cell phone has touched. Ever drop your cell phone in a public restroom? Yuck.

While there are some ultraviolet light sanitizing devices available to buy, you can clean your phone with supplies you have on hand.

Warning Never use the following items to clean a cell phone: Window or household cleaners

Compressed air

Aerosol spray cleaners

Harsh Solvents (acetone, benzene, toulene)

Bleach

Ammonia

Abrasive powders

Hydrogen peroxide

It is essential to avoid excess moisture when cleaning, which can damage interior electronics. Most cell phone screens, especially smartphones' glass surfaces, have an oleophobic coating that repels oils from hands and fingers. The coating's effectiveness will lessen over time but using anything abrasive on the glass will hasten the loss and scratch the surface permanently.