# Your iPhone Could Carry More Germs Than a Public Toilet



## fluffybear (Jun 19, 2004)

> It's flu season again and it seems like the biggest carrier of germs could be that sleek little smartphone you just can't live without.
> 
> That's right. Personal touch-screen devices like iPhones, iPads, Droids and BlackBerrys carry more germs than a toilet in a subway bathroom, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology.


Full Article: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/10/15/iphone-carry-germs-public-toilet/?test=latestnews


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I wonder how some people are using their phones!

I wipe mine off pretty regularly, not obsessively, but in part because I like getting the fingerprints off of it.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

Sigh. You know, we, as humans, used to drink from rivers that would, today, qualify as toxic waste. The challenges our body faces on a microbiological front today (with a couple of notable exceptions) are NOTHING compared to what it's geared for.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Public loos, hotel rooms and shopping cart handles are one thing, but I'm the only one who touches or breaths on my cell. Why should I worry? :shrug:


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## fluffybear (Jun 19, 2004)

Nick said:


> Public loos, hotel rooms and shopping cart handles are one thing, but I'm the only one who touches or breaths on my cell. Why should I worry? :shrug:


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## BubblePuppy (Nov 3, 2006)

djlong said:


> Sigh. You know, we, as humans, used to drink from rivers that would, today, qualify as toxic waste. The challenges our body faces on a microbiological front today (with a couple of notable exceptions) are NOTHING compared to what it's geared for.


Agreed. By over sanitizing everything, and over vaccinating ourselves, super germs are being created, plus we are losing our ability to fight off even the basic nasties we used to be able to.
We are sanitizing ourselves to death, well a lot of people are..
Just wiping off the cell phone screen won't kill the little beasties, but that is the least of my worries, and I'm not going to spray my phone with Lysol. :nono2:


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

BubblePuppy said:


> Just wiping off the cell phone screen won't kill the little beasties, but that is the least of my worries, and I'm not going to spray my phone with Lysol. :nono2:


Exactly... I wipe off all that I can see every now and again... and I don't use my phone to wipe up spills nor drop it in the floor or toilet!

Meanwhile, practicing basic hygiene myself I'm about as "clean" as I can be without going through a sterilization process.

If you just trim your nails, wash your hands when you do really nasty things and clean the dirt off them... that's really all you need.

Even if you use anti-bacterial stuff... within seconds there is a new wave of germs and microscopic stuff back on you anyway!

The key isn't to OCD overkill scrub things until you are scrubbing skin and surface material away... but to try not to live in a cesspool and develop some general good habits.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

I assume everyone knows that the Apple tech folks clean their iPhones, iPads, etc. screens with iKlear products which are also available slightly cheaper from Amazon.

No they're not anti-bacterial or anti-viral, and you don't clean the case with them, at least I don't on my iPad. But reducing the crud on your screen can't hurt.


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## trdrjeff (Dec 3, 2007)

I actually use hand sanitizer to clean my Zagg Invisibleshield, the Alcohol cleans up the oils and dirt quite well. But my phone is not a public device


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

*Touch Screen Devices Harbor Germs*



> by *RACHEL KING*, _ZDnet_
> 
> This may not be a shock to most people with say, common sense, but a new study has found that touch screen devices are just riddled with germs and other bacteria. Hope you got a flu shot already.
> 
> ...


http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetrev...arbor-germs/18938?alertspromo=&tag=nl.rSINGLE


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