Your Phone Is a Germ Factory, So Stop Taking It to the Toilet

A 2019 surveyfound that most people (57 percent) in the U.K. use their phones on the toilet. Aseparate studyfound three in four Americans (74.5 percent) use their phones while on the toilet. So it's not surprising studies have found our mobile phones aredirtier than toilet seats.

We give our phones to children to play with (who aren't exactly well known for their hygiene). We also eat while using our phones and put them down on all sorts of (dirty) surfaces. All of which can transfer microbes onto our phones, as well as food deposits for those microbes to eat.

It's been estimated that people touch their phonehundreds, if not thousands, of times a day. And while many of us wash our hands regularly after say, going to the bathroom, cooking, cleaning or gardening, we are much less likely to consider washing our hands aftertouching our phones.

But given how disgusting and germ-infested phones can be, maybe it's time to think more aboutmobile phone hygiene.

Hands pick up bacteria and viruses all the time and arerecognized as a routeforacquiring infection. So too are the phones we touch.A numberofstudies进行微生物殖民的mobile phones show that they can be contaminated with many different kinds of potentially pathogenic bacteria.

These include:

Klebsiella,Micrococcus,Proteus,PseudomonasandStreptococcushave also been found on phones and all can have equally nasty effects on humans.

Researchshows that many pathogens on phones are often antibiotic-resistant, meaning they can't be treated with conventional drugs. This is worrying as these bacteria can cause skin, gut and respiratory infections that can be life-threatening.

Research also has found that even if you clean your phone with antibacterial wipes or alcohol, it can still be recolonized by microorganisms, indicating that sanitization must be aregular process.

Phones contain plastic that can harbor andtransmit viruses, some of which — like the common cold virus — can live on hard plastic surfaces for up to a week. Other viruses, such asrotavirus(a highly infectious stomach bug that typically affects babies and young children), influenza andnorovirus, can persist in an infectable form for several days.

Indeed, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasguidelines for cleaning and disinfecting mobile phones, which, along with door handles, cash machines and lift buttons, are consideredreservoirs of infection.

在particular, concern has been raised about the role mobile phones can play in the spread of infectious microbes inhospital and health care settings, as well as inschools.

So it's clear that you need to start cleaning your phone regularly. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) actually recommendsdaily sanitationof your phone and other devices because these viruses can survive for several days on hard plastic surfaces.

Usealcohol-based wipes or sprays. They need to contain at least 70 percent alcohol to disinfect phone casings and touch screens, and do it every day if possible.

Do not spray sanitizers directly onto the phone and keep liquids away from connection points or other phone openings. Absolutely avoid using bleach or abrasive cleaners. And wash your hands thoroughly after you've finished cleaning.

Thinking about how you handle your phone will also help to avoid it becoming colonized with germs. When not at home, keep your phone in your pocket or bag, and use a disposable paper list of to-do items, rather than constantly consulting your phone. Touch your phone with clean hands washed with soap and water or disinfected with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

There are other things you can do to avoid your phone becoming a source of viruses. Do not share your phone with others if you have any infection, or have not first sanitized it. If children are allowed to play with your phone, sanitize it as soon as possible afterward.

And get in the habit of putting your phone away when it's not in use, then sanitizing or washing your hands. You might also want to occasionally sanitize your phone charger when you are cleaning your phone.

This article is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. You can find theoriginal articlehere.

Primrose Freestone, Ph.D., is an associate professor in clinical microbiology in the department of respiratory sciences at the University of Leicester. She is a co-founder and internationally recognized leader in the field of microbial endocrinology, a research discipline that represents the intersection of microbiology, endocrinology and neurophysiology.