t’s pretty safe to say that there are few places people don’t take their phones these days. That means that the little device you have strapped to your hand 24/7 likely gets very dirty and picks up a lot of germs. But anyone who’s tried to wipe off a fingerprint or barbecue sauce knows cleaning your phone without ruining it isn’t always easy.

Well, Thrillist has a few dos and don’ts when it comes to cleaning your device that you’ll want to follow so you don’t go from a dirty phone to a totally trashed one.

Among the suggestions:

• Keep it Off and Unplugged – Never clean your phone when it’s being charged, or when it’s on. You could ruin the display if you try to wipe it down when it’s still on.

• Liquids are a No-No – By now you should know that liquids should not get anywhere near your iPhone (if you have a Galaxy S7 this doesn’t apply to you). NEVER put liquids directly on the screen, since even a splash of water can hurt it.

• Lint is Bad News – When you do clean your device, never use a cloth with lint, like a paper towel or tissue. They can be abrasive and scratch your screen.

• No Household Cleaners – Household cleaners with chemicals can diminish your phone’s special oleophobic coating, which helps the screen repel greasy fingerprint smudges.

• A Microfiber Cloth is Your Friend – When wiping down the phone, use a microfiber cloth, like the ones you use to clear smudges off your glasses. If you need to give the phone a real cleaning, it’s okay for the cloth to be damp, just not soaking wet, and then gently clean the screen, but be careful not to get any of that moisture near exposed openings.

• Compressed Air Is Your Friend – If you need to get junk out of hard to reach parts of your device, a can of compressed air is your best bet to safely blast out any dirt and dust from phone openings.

Source: Thrillist