Did You Know that Smartphones and Tablets are Dirtier than You Think?

Did You Know that Smartphones and Tablets are Dirtier than You Think?

Here is a FUN FACT: each square inch of your smartphone or iPad contains roughly 25,000 germs making them two of the filthiest things you come in contact with on a daily basis. Now, will you put the next smartphone call on speaker instead of putting it up to your ear/face? Yes, I hope you do and I think I will, too. Will you clean your iPad or your child’s iPad a little more often?  Well, go ahead and read on.

Ever wonder what objects are actually cleaner than your Smartphone/iPad? Surprisingly, toilet seats make the list because they're usually sanitized often. Do you take your Smartphone/iPad in to the bathroom with you?  Yes, I think we all may have, haven’t we?  Well, I would think twice about that now that I brought this FUN FACT up to you.

Now, I know we have all cut one of our fingers and placed a band aid on it. Then you discover at the end of the day that the band aid is pretty dirty?  Yes, and all of those dirty germs are now on your electronics and everything else you have touched that day, including your smart phone, iPad and your keyboard at work, too.  As Jimmy Fallon’s character “Sara” would say “Ew!”  GERMS ARE EW!

In a 2013 study, British researchers swabbed 30 tablets, 30 phones and an office toilet seat. The tablets had up to 600 units per swab of staphylococcus (also known as staph, which can cause severe stomach sickness) and the phones had up to 140 units. The typical toilet seat had less than 20 units. Another uncomfortable detail: In a 2011 survey, 75 percent of Americans said they use their smartphones while on the toilet to text, email and talk. It’s not just teenagers—91 percent of Generation Y responders said they used their phone on the toilet, as did 80 percent of Generation X and 65 percent of Boomers.

Clean your electronics:Reduce your exposure to germs by cleaning your electronic screens with screen wipes or a damp, soft cloth often—or leave them out of the bathroom in the first place.

Now that I have grossed you all out, I hope that you will go and clean your smartphone, iPad, etc. right now. I just cleaned mine. Go ahead, clean them and clean them OFTEN!