Think about everywhere your phone went today. The kitchen counter. Your bag. A restaurant table. Maybe even the bathroom. Now think about how often you touch it, then touch your face. It's no surprise that researchers have taken a close look at what lives on our phones.
What Researchers Have Found
Scientists around the world have swabbed mobile phones to see what's on them. A 2022 review in Scientific Reports looked at studies from many countries and concluded that phones can carry a wide range of bacteria and other microbes, and called for better phone hygiene. A separate 2021 study in the same journal sampled phones from the public and found viable microbes, including types that can cause illness.
That doesn't mean your phone will make you sick. But it does mean your phone deserves a place in your regular cleaning routine.
Why Phones Collect So Much
- We touch them constantly, often dozens of times an hour.
- They go everywhere, from public transit to the gym to the bathroom.
- They're warm. Heat from the battery and your hand makes a cozy surface.
- We rarely clean them. Many people clean their phone far less often than their kitchen counter.
The Grossest Spots on Your Phone
The screen gets most of the attention, but don't forget the case (especially around the edges and inside), the buttons, and the area around the charging port.
Simple Habits for a Cleaner Phone
- Wipe it daily. A quick pass with a microfiber cloth removes oils and grime.
- Clean it properly once a week. Power off, use a screen-safe cleaner on your cloth, and don't forget the case. Our step-by-step guide to cleaning your phone screen covers it in six steps.
- Keep it off the bathroom counter.
- Wash your hands often, since clean hands mean a cleaner phone.
- Follow your phone maker's guidance if you need to disinfect it.
Make It a Habit
Keeping a cloth and cleaner nearby makes a daily wipe easy. Shop phone cleaning essentials → https://tech2clean.com/pages/shop