Your phone
Almost everyone keeps their phone with them all day long and even on the toilet – and it is perfectly normal because we all do this, but not disinfecting it often can be a real problem. Your phone should be disinfected because you touch it very often and it can actually be a virus carrier. “Phones are an extension of your hands and you need to think about the surface of your phone as something that can spread germs,” says Dr. Bailey.
“Your hands can pick up staph aureus (impetigo germ) from surfaces like handrails, handshakes, and elevator buttons,” says Dr. Bailey. “Cold and flu germs travel this way, too.”
In addition, there is a study published in 2017 in the journal of Germs that analyzed the impact of microbes on objects and looked at approximately 27 cell phones. The results showed that absolutely all phones were contaminated by microbes. Can you believe it?!
“Your phone will pick up whatever is on that surface. So, keep your phone clean, but also change your habits in terms of how you handle it after that,” says Debra Goff, Pharm.D., founding member of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.
You can use a cloth to clean your phone or other devices. All you have to do is to moisten the microfiber cloth with sanitary alcohol or disinfectant specially made for cleaning electronic devices and then wipe the screen and the phone cover. You can use the same technique for your laptops and computers as well.
“Cleaning your cell phone is a far more effective preventative measure than something like wearing a face mask. People handle their phones hundreds of times a day,” said Goff. “That means potentially exposing yourself to what’s on those surfaces every time.”
