TAKE a look at your mobile device. Do you see oily fingerprints¹ and lint² on the touch screen? Dust and crumbs³ forming particulate⁴ frost in the corners? Is that a hair stuck at the screen's edge?

看看你的移动设备。看到触摸屏上油油的指印和细小的纤维了吗？还有灰尘与细屑在边边角角结成的霜状物？在屏幕的边缘是不是卡着一根头发？

Because our electronics are constantly within our grubby grasp, they can get pretty gross. They are taken into public restrooms, handed to runny-nosed toddlers, passed around to share photos and pressed against sweaty skin in gyms. Repeated studies show what accumulates is germy nastiness worse than what is on the bottom of your shoe.

因为我们的电子设备一直都被握在不怎么干净的手中，它们可能会变得非常脏。它们被带进公共厕所，被交给流着鼻涕的幼儿，被四处传看照片，被按在健身房中汗涔涔的肌肤上。许多研究表明，它们上聚积的细菌与秽物要比你鞋底上粘的还要多。

"That devices can be a source of disease transmission is not a subject of debate anymore," said Dr. Dubert Guerrero, an infectious disease specialist at Sanford Health in Fargo, N.D., and co-author of a study about the persistence⁵ of bacteria on iPads published in November in The American Journal of Infection Control.

“那些移动设备可能成为疾病传播的源头，这已经不需要争论了，”杜伯特·古雷罗(Dobert Guerrero)是位于北达科他州法戈的桑福德医疗系统(Sanford Health)的一位传染病专家，去年11月他在《美国传染病控制》(American Journal of Infection Control)上联名发表了一篇关于iPad上细菌残留的研究。

So it is a good idea to keep your devices clean, not only to keep from getting sick but also to maintain resale value when it's time to upgrade. Companies like Best Buy, Target, Gazelle, Amazon, Verizon and AT&T all offer trade-in or cash-back programs, said Derek Meister, a technician for the Geek Squad⁶, Best Buy's repair and online support service.

所以，保持你电子设备的清洁是一个好主意，这不仅会让你远离疾病，在更新换代时也能保住转卖的价值。百思买(Best Buy)提供维修与在线支持服务的技客小分队(Geek Squad)技师德里克·梅斯特(Derek Meister)指出，像百思买、塔吉特(Target)、Gazelle（美国移动设备回收公司——译注）、亚马逊(Amazon)、威瑞森(Verizon) 和美国电话电报公司(AT&T)都提供以旧换新或者返现服务。

"People don't want any marks or grime on their devices," Mr. Meister said, because like trading in a used car at a dealership⁷, "the better the condition, the more like new it is, the more money you get on your trade-in."

“人们不希望自己的电子设备上满是印子或污垢，”梅斯特说，因为就像交易二手汽车一样，“状态保持得越好，东西越像新的，你在以旧换新时收回的钱就越多。”

A word of warning: Cleaning your device can be tricky⁸, since you don't want to damage it and manufacturers don't give you much guidance. It can be done, however, if you're careful and conscientious⁹.

但是有一点需要警惕：清理你的电子设备可能是件麻烦事，因为你并不想弄坏它，而制造商在这方面并没有给你太多的指导。但是，如果你小心谨慎的话，这是可以办到的。

Dr. Guerrero and his colleagues found that regularly wiping down your device with a moist microfiber cloth was sufficient to eliminate many kinds of common bacteria. More enduring and dangerous bacteria like clostridium difficile (which can cause diarrhea or even inflammation of the colon) and flu viruses may require a sterilizing¹⁰ agent like bleach¹¹ or alcohol, he said.

古雷罗博士与他的同事们发现，经常用一块湿润的超细纤维布擦拭电子设备，就足以擦掉很多种常见细菌。他表示，像艰难梭菌（它可以导致腹泻甚至是结肠炎）以及流感病毒这种存活更久、更危险的细菌，就可能需要像漂白剂或者酒精这样的消毒剂。

This is a problem, since Apple on its website officially warns against using "window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol¹² sprays, solvents¹³, alcohol, ammonia or abrasives¹⁴" to clean its products and advises instead to "simply wipe the screen with a soft, lint-free cloth to remove oil left by your hands." Other manufacturers offer similar advice or none at all.

自从苹果公司(Apple)在网站上发出官方警告，请用户不要使用“窗户清洁剂、家具清洁剂、喷雾驱虫剂、溶剂、酒精、氨或者磨具”来清洁该公司的产品，而是建议“简单地用一块柔软的无纺布擦拭屏幕，来擦除你双手留下的油渍”，这就成了一个问题。其他的制造商提供类似的建议，或者根本对此没有任何建议。

And yet, in the Apple Store, you'll find the 32-percent isopropyl alcohol Clens wipes by Bausch & Lomb. Apple declined to explain the contradiction. Nevertheless, the wipes work great at cleaning grime, muck and marks off your device and they also disinfect. A Clens kit¹⁵ that includes three Clens wipes, a 3-ounce bottle of Clens cleaning spray and a cleaning cloth costs about $20.

不过，在苹果商店里，你可以找到含32%酒精的博士伦清洁擦拭巾(Clens wipes by Bausch & Lomb)。苹果并没有解释这种自相矛盾的说法。尽管如此，这种擦拭巾在清洁电子设备上的污垢、灰尘和印迹方面非常有用，而且同时能够消毒。一包清洁套装中包括三张清洁擦拭巾，一瓶3盎司的清洁喷剂以及一块清洁布，要价20美元左右。

But it's far cheaper to make your own alcohol and water solution. To clean his own mobile devices, Mr. Meister at the Geek Squad said he used a 1:1 ratio of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and distilled¹⁶ water, which together cost less than $4 at most grocery and drugstores. "You want distilled water and purer alcohol so there are fewer chemicals or minerals left behind when the solution evaporates," he said.

但如果你自己用酒精和水调制清洁剂的话，就要便宜得多了。奇客小分队的梅斯特说他为了清洁自己的移动设备，会用1比1的比例把纯度70%的酒精与蒸馏水混合，在绝大多数杂货店和药店，这些东西加起来不会超过4美元。“使用蒸馏水和更纯的酒精，这样在清洁剂蒸发之后，残留的化学物质或者矿物质就会更少，”他说。

Fill a spray bottle with the diluted¹⁷ alcohol, lightly moisten a lint-free, preferably microfiber, cloth (no paper towels) and gently wipe down the screen and case. Never spray directly onto the device. To clean corners and around ports, use lint-free foam¹⁸ rather than cotton Q-tips.

把稀释过的酒精放到喷雾瓶中，轻柔地喷湿一块无纺布，超细纤维布的话更好（不要用纸巾），然后轻轻擦拭屏幕与机身。不要直接对着手机喷清洁剂。要想清洁角落与插口，不要用棉签，要用无纺泡沫材料。

If you're supergermophobic, you might consider purchasing an ultraviolet sanitizer. Violife makes a $50 cellphone sanitizer about the size of a coffee can. Just pop your phone into the dock and replace the lid for ultraviolet light to zap pathogens. Verilux sells a $40 sanitizing wand, which the company claims kills up to 99 percent of germs when waved over your electronics. This won't improve the look of your device or maximize value at trade-in but it might spare you the sniffles or worse during cold and flu season.

如果你有严重的洁癖，可以考虑购买一个紫外线消毒器。Violife制造的手机消毒器有一个咖啡罐大小，售价50美元。只要把你的手机放进机器中，再盖上盖子，让紫外线杀灭病原体即可。Verilux则以40美元的价钱出售一种消毒棒，该公司声称拿消毒棒扫过你的电子设备，就可以消灭99%的细菌。这并不会改善你手机的外观或者在以旧换新时将价值最大化，但这可以让你在寒冷的流感时节不会出现流鼻涕或者更糟糕的症状。

Using a can of compressed air to blow around ports and between keys, on the other hand, will help maintain the look, performance and value of your device. This gets rid of dust and particles that can infiltrate¹⁹ and damage electronics. Another option is to buy a specialized²⁰ air compressor like the DataVac Electric Duster, which lists for $100 and comes with all sorts of little attachments²¹ for cleaning out your devices' crevices²² and seams.

另一方面，用一罐压缩空气来吹一吹插口四周与键盘空隙中的，将有助于保持你的电子设备的外观以及价值。这能吹走那些能渗进电子元件并造成损坏的灰尘与细屑。另一个选择是买一种特殊的空气压缩机，比如说DataVac电动除尘器，它售价100美元，附带各种小配件，可以用来清除电子设备上的缝隙与接口。

"An air compressor gets things really clean and it's environmentally good because you don't have a little can to throw away after blowing air," said Miroslav Djuric, chief information architect at ifixit.com, an online do-it-yourself community. He uses an all-purpose compressor he bought at Home Depot²³ and fitted with an inflating²⁴ needle (the kind used to inflate²⁵ a basketball or a bike tire) to precisely²⁶ direct the air flow.

“一个空气压缩机能把东西清理得相当干净，而且它也很环保，因为在喷完空气之后，你不需要再扔掉一个小瓶子，”米罗斯拉夫·迪乌里克(Miroslav Djuric)说，他是ifixit.com的首席信息架构师，该网站是一个在线DIY社区。他所使用的是一个从家得宝(Home Depot)买来的通用压缩机，再装上一个气针（就是用来给篮球或者自行车轮胎打气的那种）来精确地控制空气的喷射。

To repel²⁷ germs, grease and pet hair from your laptop, there are antimicrobial and protective keyboard, trackpad and palm rest covers that are nearly invisible and washable. Moshi, NewerTech, iSkin and Protect Computer Products all make these covers for less than $30.

要想摆脱你笔记本电脑上的细菌、油脂以及宠物毛发，可以考虑一种抗菌保护型保护罩，可将键盘、触控板和掌托覆盖住，它几乎是透明的，而且可以水洗。摩仕(Moshi), NewerTech, iSkin 以及Protect Computer Products 所出售的此类保护罩都不超过30美元。

"We get so many computers damaged from kids spilling things on them," said David Bensinger, owner of The Little Laptop Shop in Manhattan. "At least people say it was their kids when they drop the computers off."

“我们收到过无数台电脑，都是因为孩子把东西洒上去而坏掉的，”大卫·本辛格(David Bensinger）说，他是位于曼哈顿的笔记本电脑小店(The Little Laptop Shop)的老板。“至少在电脑摔在地上的时候，他们会说这是他们的孩子干的。”

Washable screen protectors for laptops, tablets and smartphones are available from manufacturers such as Boxwave, BodyGuardz, iSmooth and Moshi at a cost of $5 to $40, depending on the size. They are easy to apply and reapply without unsightly bubbles or impaired²⁸ visibility or functionality of touch screens.

笔记本电脑、平板电脑和智能手机的可清洗屏幕保护膜在各家制造商都有出售，像是Boxwave、BodyGuardz、iSmooth以及摩仕，价格从5美元到40美元不等，视乎尺寸而定。它很易于安装及拆卸，不会产生阻碍视线的气泡，也不会影响触摸屏的可视度与灵敏度。

Similarly, Ultra-Sleeves and Chef Sleeves are clear, hygienic and protective iPad and tablet covers. They enclose the entire device and are disposable. They are intended for people working in health care, construction, industrial or restaurant settings. These covers are also ideal for those who might have to share their devices with multiple people during the course of the day, like teachers or salespeople²⁹. A pack of 10 costs about $12.

同样，Ultra-Sleeves和Chef Sleeves都提供干净、健康以及保护型的iPad以及其他平板电脑保护罩。它可以包裹住整个设备，而且是一次性的，适合那些在健康医疗、建筑、工业或者餐饮服务行业工作的人。这些保护罩对于那些想要和很多人在工作时间共同使用电子设备的人来说也很理想，比如说教师与销售人员。一份含10个保护罩的套装价格大约是12美元。

It's up to you how obsessively³⁰ you want to clean your mobile devices, but health and electronics experts advise wiping down your mobile device with a moist microfiber cloth at least daily for basic sanitation³¹ and upkeep.

想要把你的电子设备清洁到什么程度，这完全取决于你自己，但是健康与电子器件专家建议，为了基本的卫生与保养，至少每天一次地使用湿润的超细纤维布来擦拭你的移动设备。

Like your toothbrush, "your mobile device is something you want to clean regularly," said Dr. Guerrero, the infectious disease specialist. And it is probably not something you want to pass around the table.

就像牙刷一样，“你的移动设备也是应当经常清洁的东西，”传染疾病专家古雷罗博士说。而且，你也不应该在桌边让人四处传看你的手机。