Do you fear using public bathrooms so much that you cringe every time you have to go but somehow think its ok to rub your mobile all over your face? If that’s the case you’re in for a big surprise as mobile phones can actually be very dirty. In fact it was discovered in a recent study conducted in the UK that mobile phones can possess up to 18 times more bacteria than the toilet in a male restroom!
The same study revealed that out of 30 phones swabbed and analyzed, seven mobiles were found to be dirty with high warning levels of environmental bacteria. This may not be immediately harmful it indicates poor general hygiene and may become a breeding ground for more health-threatening bacteria! Has reality kicked in yet? We are basically holding the equivalent to a Burger King urinal in our hands every day while being exposed to countless bacteria.
Let’s not blame our mobiles as they are only a hotspot for germs because of our own fault. We pass them around to our friends, we touch them with our dirty hands, we store them in warm places and we even use them while on the toilet seat!
Just How Dirty Is Your Mobile?
The average smartphone carries over 11,000 germs per square inch and in the test carried out, six random phones had traces of feces on them. Doctors warn that up to 30% of infectious diseases are transferred from fingertips to phone glass and these germs can survive on your phone for several days!
Why is Your Mobile so Dirty?
Your mobile is dirty because you pick up germs from your mouth, nose and ears when you use it. I imagine you have placed it on dirty surfaces such as your desk at work, your kitchen and bathroom counter and even your purse. A big problem of germs transference comes when you hand your phone to others. Our bodies usually gets used to the amount of germs we carry but when we pass our phones around it creates a whole new germs-havoc that enter our skin, ears, nose and lives in general. Phones even get their own germs as we store them in warm places such as pockets, hands and next to our faces.
Although phones are breeding grounds for germs they aren’t particularly dangerous for adults with functioning immune systems. Most of the germs found on cellular phones are actually harmless except staphylococcus aureus. This is a disease-carrying bacteria that very rarely appears on cellular phones.
This doesn’t mean that you should just blow off the ‘germsy phone phenomenon’ especially if you handle babies or small children. Even older persons with compromised immune systems are at risk if they come in regular contact with your phones. Cleanse your hands and phones with an alcohol based sanitizer to ensure safety for everyone.
