When Did You Last Clean Your Mobile Phone? Grab the Anti-Bacterial Wipes!

When Did You Last Clean Your Mobile Phone? Grab the Anti-Bacterial Wipes!

The latest research has revealed that there were up to ten times the amount of illness inducing bacteria than were found in a toilet. This included germs that can lead to nausea and stomach problems, which were in alarmingly high numbers on the average person’s mobile phone.

Experts noted that mobile phones are often passed from person to person, which increases the amount of bacteria being spread between people, leading to cross-contamination. As the majority of people don’t clean their phone, it leads to a variety of bacteria and diseases building up on the device.

Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona noted that findings from his own experiments indicated that bacteria and germs are transferred easily on to mobiles as we use them in close proximity to our mouths as well as constantly touching them with our hands.

Due to the delicate nature of electronic devices, especially a top of the range smartphone, it can put a lot of people off attempting to clean their phone due to the risk of damage. This is in addition to the increasing number of smartphones that have large displays which utilise the latest technology. Because mobile phones are not part of the obvious home cleaning regime, it can be easily overlooked during the household duties.

This is a similar issue with computer keyboards and remote controls as they are easily overlooked. A Which? study took swabs from 30 smartphones, tablets and keyboards. One iPad had 600 units of Staphylococcus aureus, which creates toxins that can lead to food poisoning.

This was compared with less than 20 units of Staphylococcus per swab of an office toilet, 140 on a smartphone and 480 on the dirtiest keyboard. Many researchers put this findings down to the rise in hectic lifestyles and the number of mobile devices available in everyday life. People are always multitasking on the go, so will often eat lunch and snack at their desk and many even take their devices to the toilet with them.

James Francis, the microbiologist that carried out the research, said: "In the food industry, if we found those levels of bacteria from a hand swab of a food handler, they'd have to be taken out of the workplace and retrained in basic hygiene."

Thankfully, a new phone charging case has been developed that will clean your phone overnight. The device named PhoneSoap has been coined “One part phone charger, one part sanitiser”.

It may look like a miniature tanning bed, but the technology uses electromagnetic radiation that is utilised in hospitals and the medical industry to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses. You simply place the phone inside, with the option to charge it at the same time, and leave it is clean and disinfect your mobile with the radiation that will not damage your phone.

There is also the SETi iPhone sanitiser which uses a similar method to kill bacteria with ultraviolet LEDs. However their case is more portable than PhoneSoap. It is thought to be aimed at those in the health industry such as doctors and nurses, as well as parents with small children who often pass their phone on to amuse them.

Another recent development in the tech world comes from Corning, the manufacturer of the strengthened glass that is used in the majority of smartphones today. They have created the world’s first antimicrobial glass, which incorporates the antibacterial agent ionic silver to combat germs. The manufacturers claim it can repel up to 99.9% of certain bacteria. It is available to buy now, but is unlikely to become part of the mass market unless the big mobile phone companies such as Samsung and Apple incorporate it into their new product lines.

Posted by George Daniels on Wednesday January 29 2014, 6:11 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Technology. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0