Every day, we touch our smartphones hundreds, if not thousands of times. This banal gesture hides a much more surprising and underestimated reality: our phones are veritable nests of germs. Recently, an American study had, for example, found that they contained more germs than a toilet bowl, which caused a lot of reaction.
Primrose Freestone, researcher at the University of Leicester, has just published a fascinating article on this subject on the site The Conversation. The scientist explains in particular that medical research has identified that smartphones contain plastics that can harbor viruses such as covid-19 and the flu.
The same is true for some bacteria such as E. Coli and others that can sometimes resist antibiotics. Here are 3 tips to protect yourself from risk.
Clean your phone
This is the main advice we can give you here. You should clean your smartphone regularly. The American health authorities even recommend doing it on a daily basis using alcohol-based wipes or sprays (at least 70%).
It is suggested to disinfect the case and the screen of your device. Once done, wash your hands thoroughly. Note that you can use a cotton swab for all hard-to-reach places (ports, buttons).
Handle it with care
It is a very difficult reflex to adopt but it is essential. You have to try to think before handling your smartphone. If you’re away from home and have dirty hands, it’s best to use it as little as possible. Let’s take the example of shopping at the supermarket: prefer a good old written list, rather than scrolling your device. Finally, and as far as possible, remember to wash your hands before handling it.
protect others
Again, this is common sense advice. The scientist suggests that we do not share our phone when we are sick without cleaning it first. Likewise, if you lend your smartphone to a child, it should be disinfected before and after. Finally, you must get into the habit of storing your device when it is not in use, to avoid temptation.
Of course, it is clearly not easy to adopt these habits overnight. But we can nevertheless apply some of these tips and thus prevent our device from becoming a danger to our health. For your part, were you aware of the risks mentioned in this article? Feel free to share your experience in the comments.
