We're dependent on our smartphones, now more than ever. But if you carry around your phone all day, it's going to get dirty.

Smartphones get food on them, and dirt, and other substances. And if your kids get your hands on your phone for any length of time, things are only going to get dirtier.

It's bad enough when a dirty screen makes your phone harder to read or scroll through. But with coronavirus raging, keeping your phone clean could be a matter of life and death. So how can you ensure that your phone is clean, safe and not a vector of deadly disease?

According to Apple's support site, iPhone users looking to clean their devices should use a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, but should not, under any circumstances, use bleach, while also avoiding submerging the phone itself into cleaning agent.

For those with the newest Apple devices, the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, the textured matte finishes necessitate that those cleaning the devices should first unplug cables and turn off the phone, while cleaning it with a "soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth." Owners of those devices should also not use compressed air, as they would when cleaning their computer keyboard of dust.

Apple also warns, for both the newer items and the iPhone XS/iPhone XS Max/ iPhone X/iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus/iPhone 7 generations, that the products' coating would be diminished by use of cleaning products.

The Apple support page also offers specific tips for cleaning some of the older iPhone models.

As for Samsung users, the website Sammobile.com offers a list of specific suggestions for cleaning devices, specifically to protect against coronavirus.

It's suggested that Samsung phone owners unplug and turn off their devices before cleaning. They're asked to clean their phone with a soft, lint-free microfiber cloth, while avoiding the direct use of liquid cleaning solutions. If necessary, users may use a "hypochlorous acid-based (50-80ppm) or alcohol-based (formulated with more than 70% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol) product," although not with too much pressure.

A story last fall by Business Insider offered specific tips for users of the newest Samsung flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy 10. While the Galaxy 10 is marketed as water-resistant, users are not supposed to clean it with either high pressure or soapy water, nor should they use household cleaning products.

Instead, Galaxy 10 phones should be cleaned with microfiber cloth, which can be dampened with lens cleaner spray.  

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. 

Image: CEO Tim Cook presents the new iPhone 11 Pro at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 10, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Lam TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY.