Mobile phones are 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat, here’s what you should do about it

Admit it, you cannot live without your phones. They have become an essential part of our daily lives and we use them wherever we go — in public transportations, in malls, in hospitals, and even in bathrooms. We just can’t help but to use our phones especially in idle moments.

A report from Primrose Freestone of The Conversation said that we are not focusing enough on the microbial infection risk of our phones, and often times just get alarmed by how it becomes a distraction while driving, the possible effects of radiofrequency exposure, or just how addictive they can be.

Now, it’s time to face the fact that our phones can carry ten times more bacteria than most toilet seats, according to scientists at the University of Arizona. And a survey from 2019 found that most people in the United Kingdom use their phones on the toilet. So, do we just read these reports and forget them or do we see them as an emerging problem and act on them?

How do we get infection from our phones?

Oftentimes, we don’t really realize how we can easily get all sorts of bacteria from using our phones and transfer them to another person. Here are some instances where we get bacteria from our phones:

1. Giving our phones to children – they don’t exactly grasp the complete idea of “hygiene” that is why they can be easily infected with bacteria.
2. Eating while using our phones – these days, we often multitask by eating our meal while scrolling through social media or watching shows online. We don’t realize that we put our phones on dirty surfaces, touch it, and then touch our food at the same time.
3. Using our phones in the bathroom – whatever business you do in the bathroom during your personal time, it is not advisable to bring your phone inside it with you. As the study said, a phone can house up to ten times more bacteria than a toilet seat.

What kind of germs, bacteria, viruses can we get by using our phones?

In the report from The Conversation, it said that a number of studies conducted on the microbiological colonization of mobile phones show that they can be contaminated with many different kinds of potentially pathogenic bacteria.

1. E. coli – can cause diarrhoea
2. Staphylococcus – can cause skin infections
3. Actinobacteria – can cause tuberculosis and diphtheria
4. Citrobacter – can cause urinary tract infections
5. Enterococcus – can cause meningitis

Other bacteria that can cause unpleasant effects on humans are Klebsiella, Micrococcus, Proteus, Pseudomonas and Streptococcus.

How do we clean our phones?

Though our phones may be home to countless germs, we can do our part and take care of our health by cleaning our phones regularly.

1. Sanitize your phones daily – viruses on your phones can survive for several days on hard plastic surfaces, that’s why the US Federal Communications Commission recommends to sanitize your phone and other devices every single day.
2. Use alcohol-based wipes or sprays – to actually disinfect phones, phone cases, and phone screens, the wipes or sprays to be used should contain at least 70% alcohol.
3. Do not spray sanitizers directly to phones – putting strong kinds of liquids to your phones may damage them especially when it reaches connection points or other phone openings. You should also refrain from using bleach or abrasive cleaners.

Now that you know how dirty your phones are and what you should do about it, you should not forget the most important part — wash your hands regularly after using your phones or after cleaning them.

Taking care of our phones also means taking care of our health. We may not see the negative effects of not cleaning it now, but they are there and they are real. Let us not wait for the time that these effects become a serious problem, and let us prevent it while we still can.