If you find yourself passing the time in the bathroom while scrolling on your phone for long minutes at a time, you should probably read this.
Most of us haven't thought about the number of germs that we bring out with us from the restroom and transfer onwards to everything we touch – even if we wash our hands with soap and water. We don't wash our cell phones after every time we leave the room despite touching them the entire time we're there.
"Restrooms are a polluted place," explained Prof. Rafi Karso. "Public restrooms, even more so. The toilet seat is also polluted, as is the flush handle, since everyone touches it all the time, even before washing their hands."
He said that most of the germs located in restrooms are intestinal bacteria and skin bacteria, while others may also be found in public toilets, some of which are even resistant to antibiotics.
"The greatest amount of bacteria are dispersed during flushing when the flushing of the toilet disperses the bacteria in the air," he continued. "If we enter the bathroom with our mobile phones, sit there for several minutes, flush the toilet and then hold our phones again, it becomes contaminated and infected with bacteria and viruses."
Leave your phone behind
That's why when you go to the restroom, it's best to leave your phone behind. Use it only after washing your hands with soap and water. Phones can absorb a lot of germs because it's in our hands all day, allowing them to become easily contaminated by infections and bacteria from other surfaces.
"If we enter the bathroom with our mobile phones, sit there for several minutes, flush the toilet and then hold our phones again, it becomes contaminated and infected with bacteria and viruses."
Prof. Rafi Karso
In conclusion, wait patiently before surfing the social networks until after you've finished up your business in the restroom and washed your hands thoroughly. Either way, it's always best to clean your phone with a general cleaning wipe at least once a day. This can certainly reduce the number of bacteria and their transfer to other surfaces.