We all know the bathroom isn't typically the most sanitary place in a home, it is somewhat the nature of the place. And though I’m sure we all do our best to keep the area spick and span with diligent cleaning and preening - there is one habit that could mean we’re carting around ‘that’ bacteria all over our homes, without even thinking about it.
I’m sure we’ve all done it, even if we don’t care to admit it. But taking your phone to the loo with you is a big no-no where cleanliness is concerned. Yes it offers ample entertainment, but the truth is we’re contaminating our devices with unnecessary, stomach-churning, (for lack of a better phrasing) poo particles!
Yes, taking your phone to the loo may seem harmless, but according to the experts the truth is it’s not only pretty gross, it could be detrimental to your health. Here’s why taking your phone into the loo with you is the dirtiest bathroom habit you need to break now.
Why taking your phone to the loo is unhygienic
'Your hands are only as clean as the last surface you touched. That's not a slogan — it's the basic mechanism of contact transmission,' that's according to environmental and public health scientist Dr. Alex LeBeau, PhD.
It should seem relatively obvious why taking your phone into the bathroom while, to put it politely, ‘using the facilities', is unhygienic. But I’ll make it slightly clearer. Every time you flush an uncovered toilet, microscopic water droplets shoot bacteria such as E. coli and norovirus into the air. This is called a toilet plume, catchy right?
These pathogens then settle on nearby surfaces, including your phone. In fact, research frequently shows that cell phones can carry up to 10 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat. Phones are warm and handled constantly, meaning they create a prime breeding ground for germs to multiply and spread to your face and hands.
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'Consider how you behave in a public bathroom,' suggests Dr. LeBeau, 'You wash your hands. Then you push open the door that dozens of others have touched without washing theirs. The same logic applies to your phone. If it was handled before you washed your hands or placed on a contaminated surface, picking it up afterward undoes the wash.'
Think about it, you wash your hands after ‘using the facilities’ but you never wash your phone. They've got pretty similar levels of dirt on them after a trip to the bathroom and yet we hold onto them, put them to our faces for phone calls and even snuggle up in bed with them. When you start to think about what was in the toilet bowl, now being on the phone, now being on your pillow - it’s enough to make anyone's stomachs churn.
What germs could be lurking on your phone
So what’s so bad about this bacteria then? Oh we’re more than happy to tell you if it’ll get you to stop toilet-scrolling. 'Bathrooms are among the highest-risk environments for pathogen exposure in everyday life,' says Dr. LeBeau. 'Legionella can colonise shower heads and faucets. Coliform bacteria-including faecal strains-are present in and around toilets. These aren't edge cases. They are consistent, documented findings across residential and commercial environments alike.'
E. coli and faecal bacteria
One of the biggest concerns with taking your phone into the loo is the potential for faecal bacteria, such as E. coli, to end up on your device. This can happen through poor hand hygiene or from tiny droplets released into the air when the toilet is flushed with the lid up (the toilet plume remember). Once contaminated, those germs can easily be transferred to your hands, kitchen surfaces and even your face. Yuck!
Cold and flu viruses
Bathrooms are high-touch environments, and viruses that cause the common cold and flu can survive on hard surfaces for hours. If you touch your phone before washing your hands, you're effectively giving those germs a free ride around the rest of your home.
Mould and mildew
Even if we put aside the toilet aspect, the other activities which occur in the bathroom can also have a big impact on the bacteria levels on your phone. The warm, humid conditions in bathrooms can also encourage the growth of mould and mildew on phone cases and in charging ports, particularly if devices are regularly left on bathroom surfaces, say during a shower karaoke session. While less of a health concern, they can contribute to the build-up of grime and foul odours.
The health risks of bringing your phone into the loo
Though taking your phone to the loo with you isn't exactly guaranteed to make you sick, experts warn that it could increase your chances of spreading germs around your home. After all, once those bacteria and viruses are on your device, they can easily hitch a ride to wherever you go next - whether that's the kitchen where you prepare your food, the sofa where you relax with loved ones or even your pillow - where you rest your head.
One of the biggest concerns is cross-contamination. Unlike your hands, which (hopefully) get a thorough wash after using the toilet, your phone doesn't get the same treatment. So even if your hands are squeaky clean, picking up your device again could simply transfer any lingering germs straight back onto them.
This could potentially increase your risk of picking up stomach bugs such as norovirus, or bacteria like E. coli, which are associated with unpleasant symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea. And if you live with young children, elderly relatives or anyone with a weakened immune system, those germs could be more problematic.
Simple ways to reduce the risk
The most effective way to eliminate this spreading of harmful (icky) bacteria is to simply not take your phone into the bathroom, Dr. LeBeau however is slightly more realistic with his advice. He admits, 'Most of us use our phones during bathroom breaks. That's not going to change. But small adjustments in how that happens make a meaningful difference.'
Clean your phone: The obvious solution of course, keep clean. 'Phone manufacturers have published approved methods for disinfecting device surfaces', says Dr. LeBeau. Companies such as Apple, will have detailed information online about the most effective ways to disinfect your phone without causing any damage. 'Check with your manufacturer and use that method. The key word is routine. A one-time clean addresses one instance. Pathogens return with every unclean contact,' warns Dr. LeBeau.
Right time, right place: 'Stop using the phone before cleaning yourself,' insists Dr. LeBeau, 'Set it down in a location away from splash zones and high-contact surfaces. Pick it up only after hands are fully washed. Where you place the phone matters as much as when you handle it.'
Develop a routine: It's all good and well giving your phone a thorough clean every blue moon, or when you can physically see some grime on it, but that's not going to help you fend of these consistent, microscopic, pathogens. 'Frequency matters more than intensity,' advises Dr.Lebeau. 'A brief, approved wipe-down applied consistently will outperform a thorough clean done twice a year.' Work it into your daily routine, yes daily, and use habit-stacking to make it second-nature. Give it a clean every morning while the kettle boils, or add it as a step into you nighttime routine. 'The behavioural shift is small. The risk reduction is not.'
