How to Disinfect Your Phone During Cold and Flu Season
Your Phone Is Germ-City
We have some bad news about your smartphone: It's disgusting.
"Cell phones are one of the dirtiest things we encounter daily," Charles Gerba, Ph.D., a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona who is often referred to by his nickname, Dr. Germ, tells Health. Need proof? In 2017, researchers from his university studied germs on the cell phones of high school students and found that their devices carried 10 times more bacteria than most toilet seats. Yikes.
"Very rarely do people clean their phones, [so] germs and bacteria continue to build up and accumulate, including E. coli, influenza, and MRSA, just to name a few," Gerba explains. This is gross, but it's even grosser when you think about how much time you spend tapping, swiping, and pressing your cheek against that thing—according to a 2015 survey by Deloitte, the average American checks her phone an amazing 47 times a day.
Your phone is covered with germs. These products can help you clean it without damaging your device.
