Can I get germs by sharing an iPad with a sick person?

October 26, 2015 6:56 PM

I share an iPad with my now-sick husband. Can I disinfect in before I take it to work tomorrow?

The iPad goes to work with me. He can play on it at home if he wants to. I had it with me all day, while he was home sick. He was using it this evening. Is there a way to clean it off a little without damaging it? I love my husband, but I would rather not get his cough/fever thing.

On the other hand, I suppose that by the time he realized he was sick, I had already been exposed to his germs. And on the other other hand, perhaps the risk of transmission via touchscreen is fairly small? Can germs in survive overnight on an iPad?

posted by JoannaC to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

Apple tells you best practices for how to clean and how not to clean it, but doesn't go much into how to disinfect.

I'd say a good wiping down of the iPad with a clean cloth will knock out 99% of anything that might cause an issue - and to just wash your hands and be cognizant of touching your face while using the iPad.

Alternately, in the interest of keeping spouse happy, take one for the team and leave your iPad at home for a day while he recovers, if that is an option. I'm sure it would be appreciated.
posted by enfa at 7:36 PM on October 26, 2015

Nothing bad will happen to an ipad if you clean it with rubbing alcohol. The screen will look "smudgy", but you can just wipe it off again with a damp rag. You can actually just wipe the whole damn thing down.

I've confirmed this is A-Ok with an apple technician/genius. I've also used this method to clean any plastic*/metal/glass electronics for around 15 years and it's never damaged anything, or even the finish on anything.

Don't use hand sanitizer or any cleaner, just plain rubbing alcohol. Other stuff in cleaners CAN screw up the coating on the display, and you'll see it... and hate it... forever.

*Don't clean anything with a plastic display with anything but a damp rag. Especially something with a soft plastic display like say, a macbook air. It will possibly also screw it up depending on the coating and construction. Unless you need to SANITIZE it, use a warm damp rag with just water on it. Microwave it til it's steamy if there's stubborn grime or somesuch you need to get off.
posted by emptythought at 7:49 PM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Here's a discussion on the Apple forums about disinfecting them:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4383886
posted by I-baLL at 7:52 PM on October 26, 2015

Put it in a gallon zip-loc bag. Going forward, you can clean that with whatever you want.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:17 PM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Apple branded solvent cleaning stuff is mostly isopropanol with maybe some detergents. The isoprop (which can get inside some virus capsids and some bacteria and maybe some fungi), as it evaporates, dehydrates and kills.

99% USP (United States Pharmacopeia) isoprop (rubbing alcohol) is a few bucks for a 750mL bottle.

Most "Disinfectant wipes" are benzalkonium chloride based, which are generally safe but you wouldn't want to squeeze the wipe juice into your eyeballs. Not sure I'd want any of the other detergents'n'stuff in there to touch a screen.
posted by porpoise at 9:46 PM on October 26, 2015

Unless you need to SANITIZE it, use a warm damp rag with just water on it. Microwave it til it's steamy if there's stubborn grime or somesuch you need to get off.

Just to be perfectly clear about this point: it's the warm damp rag you should microwave, not the iPad. And beware of steam burns.
posted by flabdablet at 10:40 PM on October 26, 2015 [4 favorites]

Unless you plan to sticking the iPad on your mucus membranes, you should have nothing to worry about. Use the iPad, wash your hands and practice good hygiene. More likely than not, I'm betting that the hubby has a seasonal fall allergy to ragweed vs. a cold.
posted by bkeene12 at 4:40 AM on October 27, 2015 [2 favorites]

that's strictly false -- the biggest way we pass viruses around is via door handles, telephones, and handshakes, and nobody puts any of those things up their nose (not and is ever offered a handshake again!). people just cannot not touch their faces all the time, and you can't wash your hands enough to keep yourself from getting some virus in either eyes, nose, or mouth if constantly retouching a virus source. wash you hands, yes, but also disinfect the known infected surface.
posted by acm at 8:19 AM on October 27, 2015 [2 favorites]

Turning the iPad off, wiping it with a bit of alcohol on a rag, and then waiting till it's dry before turning it back on should do the trick.
posted by Peregrine Pickle at 3:02 AM on October 28, 2015