subject: Mobile toilet seats: how dirty is your mobile phone? [print this page] Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our daily lives, living with us wherever we go with our keys and wallet. It shouldn't be a surprise then that mobile phones aren't that clean. But just how dirty is your mobile phone? Like horror stories of the bacteria living on workplace keyboards, mobile phones harbour nasty surprises too.
In 2007, Dial-a-phone swabbed a number of every day household objects and found that mobile handsets carry higher levels of bacteria than recommended as safe and hold a genuine risk of illness. Mobile phones are loaded with more pathogens as compared to any other surface in your home including the toilet flush handle enjoying the irradiated warmth of your handset battery. These include the skin bacteria staphylococcus aureus, also found on the keyboard, toilet seat and door handle.
Joanna Verran, Professor of Microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University said: "This type of bacteria increases in high temperatures and our phones are perfect for breeding these germs as they're kept warm and cozy in our pockets, handbags and brief cases. These bacteria are toxic to humans, and can cause infections if they have the opportunity to enter the body."
How can I keep my mobile phone clean?
If you're horrified by the idea of holding a lump of plastic dirtier than a toilet seat to your face, there are some simple ways of keeping your mobile phone clean.
Use a gentle cleaner such as rubbing alcohol or a dab of very dilute household cleaner. Use a small amount to a piece of cloth or cotton bud or even an antibacterial wipe.
Disassemble as much of your phone as you can so as to clean external parts such as the cover and the keypad easily.
Clean the buttons to remove oil, dust and other small particles and wipe down the screen.
Wipe down the external cover and gently rub the speaker.
If you have a handle or phone charm be sure to change it regularly or clean it lightly too. These can hold as much bacteria as your phone.
A good alternative is to get your phone a cover. This is easily removed and can be cleaned properly with soap and water or even just replaced with a brand new one. If you've got an iPhone 4 and have found yourself a victim of antenna-gate' you may also find a cover makes an effective bumper over your antenna preventing any possible dropped calls.
Mobile toilet seats: how dirty is your mobile phone?
