Is your phone a super spreader of everyday bathroom bacteria?

A recent survey from Direct Line Home Insurance put into figures what we have long suspected – that 50% of British adults take their mobile phone with them to the toilet! Yuk! But sort of understandable – it’s in your jeans back pocket when you’re required to sit, so you need to remove it from your pocket before it takes a trip towards the U bend!  (40% of respondents reported having dropped their phone down the loo or the sink).

So, where to put your phone?  Is it best on the cistern, the floor, or do you hold on to it!?  In fact, none of these options are particularly hygienic, especially when you consider what has been in contact with the cistern, the floor and what you’re about to do. However, in that moment you need to make a decision – and if it looks clean (and, after-all, you’re one of the 67% of the population who really do wash your hands after you’ve been – meaning 33% don’t )  should you really be concerned?

The unhygienic truth is yes, you do need to be concerned!   Toilets are a hot bed for a wide range of transmissible pathogens, such as Campylobacter, E.Coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus to name a few. These can all be transferred from the toilet seat, to hands, and, whilst you’re ‘in position’, to what you touch next:  your phone – as you check messages/ reply to e-mails or catch up on social media!

Even if you’re one of the 67% who do wash their hands after toilet use , if you then pick your phone from the cistern or floor, where it has also come into contact with street bacteria from shoes, or other unwashed hands from the cistern, you are exposed to contamination. Consequently, even with clean, freshly washed hands, you and your contaminated phone (also potentially sprayed with bacteria from the flush plume) head out for lunch, meetings, etc. continuing the transfer of unhealthy pathogens to other surfaces and even your food.

Bathroom Wipe-out 365 is a permanent anti-bac coating that kills 99.9% of bathroom bacteria, fungi and moulds on contact – including Influenza A. It forms a glass-like coating protecting all treated surfaces. The good news is that it can equally be used on mobile phones, tablets and computers, with the additional benefit of preventing micro scratches.

So, when you next pop to the toilet, the best way to prevent catching or spreading nasty germs is move your phone to another pocket, or your bag; resist the temptation to while away the time checking your updates and – most of all – wash your hands when you leave.  If you’re unable to step away from your phone, the next best thing is to use Bathroom Wipe-out 365 on it. That way 99.9% of whatever germs, bacteria or pathogens it comes in to contact with will be permanently killed – on contact – rather than spread about!

To purchase Bathroom Wipe-out 365 click here