There are more germs on your cell phone than on a toilet seat in a public washroom. Yeah, we know: gross. For obvious reasons we often think of toilets as breeding grounds for germs, but we don’t usually think of our phones that way. A clinical study of 200 cell phones cited in the Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials showed that 94.5% of phones demonstrated evidence of bacterial contamination. But don’t be paranoid; germs are everywhere and the majority of them are harmless; it’s the ones that make you sick – pathogens carrying viruses and bacteria – that you need to worry about. Here are some useful hygiene tips to stop your phone from becoming a breeding ground for pathogens.
You’re always using your phone, and a warm environment such as this is a perfect breeding ground for germs. Germs spreads from your fingertips to your phone, and vice versa. And if those germs include pathogens, guess what? You get sick. The amount of germs – and harmful pathogens – on your cell phone varies depending on your own personal hygiene habits and when and where you use your phone. The average phone holds over 10 times more germs than a toilet seat. But we are all individuals and as such some phones are cleaner or germier than others. So what’s to be done?
WASH YOUR HANDS
Simple right? But how many times have you witnessed a fellow washroom visitor leave without washing their hands? That’s a big no no. Always wash your hands with warm water and soap, then dry them using a hand dryer or disposable paper towels. Try and avoid touching the washroom door handle after doing so; open the door with a paper towel or even use your sleeve. One in six phones have traces of serious pathogens, such as fecal e. coli, which, if ingested, can cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Germs that carry the viruses of the common cold and flu are also easily spread through touch and germs thrive on warm surfaces. Therefore, not washing your hands, and spreading germs from your fingertips to your phone, or vice versa, can lead to you contracting illnesses.
Regularly using hand sanitizer is another great way to kill germs. Most public places, particularly hospital, airports, and most schools, have hand sanitizers to help stop the spread of germs. Take advantage of these handy germ-killing dispensers.
CLEAN YOUR PHONE REGULARLY
Besides using good hygiene habits, there are various products on the market to kill the germs on your phones. PhoneSoap offers both a sanitizing machine using Ultra Violet (UV) light which eliminates 99.9% of germs while charging your phone at the same time. Whoosh offers an alcohol and ammonia-free solution and anti-microbial cloth to clean your screens. Most cell phones have screen protectors, which are useful providing you replace them on a semi-regular basis. Or do it yourself by using a lint-free microfiber cloth, distilled water, cotton swabs, and a dab or two of rubbing alcohol. But stay away from household chemicals and disinfectants, which are too harsh and can damage your phone. Always turn your phone off before cleaning it, don’t get liquid inside it, and make sure you know how to put back together what you’re taking apart. (Or, better yet, let the repair professionals handle it.)
You clean your clothes, your kitchen, your bathroom, your car – hell, you probably even give the TV a dust now and again! But up until reading this highly informative blog (You’re welcome!) you may not have realized that keeping your cell phone germ free is just as important. So keep it clean and stay healthy.
For more interesting topics, check out Repair Express’s blog. We provide the quickest and most affordable cell phone repair services, with a 12-month warranty that actually exceeds industry standards. So why not get in touch today and let us know how we can repair it.
