It is often said that the screen of an iPhone is as unsanitary as a toilet seat. But is that really the case? We investigated and answered, among other things, the question whether it is wise to use your iPhone in the toilet.
That’s how unsanitary is the screen of your iPhone
When you consider how often you spend your fingers on the screen of your iPhone, it makes sense that it will become a big bacteria gang in no time. Just adjust some music while you work in the garden, pick up a phone call while cleaning the bathroom or leave it on for 15 minutes. reddit surfing while on the toilet. These are all situations that are not conducive to the hygiene of the iPhone screen. However?
Fortunately, we have our eastern neighbors who have such questions for us with a decent portion Gründlichkeit reply. The German Teltarif.de asked Professor Markus Egert of the Hochschule Furtwangen if our smartphones don’t get terribly dirty. Egert is specialized in microbiology and hygiene. And surprise: His research has shown that smartphones are not that unsanitary after all. Of course there are some dirty secrets…
Not good living conditions for bacteria
According to Professor Egert, the touchscreen ‘does not offer good living conditions for micro-organisms’ because it is very slippery, dry and nutrient-poor. A few dander or a bit of grease is much more likely to stick to it. In addition, we often inadvertently clean our smartphones – for example by wiping them on our pants or t-shirt, which mechanically removes bacteria. Even a simple wipe with a microfiber cloth – such as Apple’s polishing cloth – removes 80 to 90 percent of microorganisms.
And what about your iPhone in the toilet?
As for the situation of your iPhone in the toilet, Egert says in the interview: ‘The crucial thing is your hands. If you go to your smartphone with hands contaminated with fecal bacteria, they will naturally end up there too. But if you pay attention to good hand hygiene, that shouldn’t happen.’
According to Egert, the use in the kitchen is much more critical, for example when defrosting a chicken. Contaminating your iPhone with food bacteria is a serious risk. There are millions to billions of germs per cubic centimeter on a piece of meat. Plus, sometimes you put your fingers in your mouth to taste the food, which probably won’t happen in the toilet.
So, you can continue to use your iPhone in the toilet, but after cooking you prefer to clean it thoroughly.