Scientists Reveal: Is Your Smartphone Dirtier Than a Toilet Bowl? Find Out Now!

There’s a widespread belief that smartphones are filthier than toilet bowls. But should we take this statement at face value? Scientists have weighed in.

Every day, from the moment we wake up to our last minutes before sleep, our smartphones are in constant use. Whether it’s during breakfast, on public transport, at work, or at home, they are always with us. While fingerprints and dust quickly become visible on our screens, these are not the only things accumulating.

Throughout the day, our fingers collect all kinds of dirt and bacteria, continuously transferring them to our smartphones without us even noticing. It’s no surprise then that some say a smartphone is dirtier than a toilet seat, which ironically, is also frequently used with smartphones in hand. Should we accept this now common claim, or approach it with caution?

The evidence seems robust: it started spreading after a study in the early 2010s by the University of Manchester, which found that smartphones harbored 500 times more bacteria, microbes, or viruses than a toilet seat, and about 7,000 different kinds of bacteria. While many of these are harmless, others like Escherichia coli, salmonella, and streptococcus can be quite alarming.

Subsequent studies have confirmed these findings, presenting varying numbers but equally concerning conclusions, as seen in research conducted by Egyptian scientists in 2015, the University of Arizona, and a group of Estonian researchers analyzing students’ phones in 2017, as well as a committee on health safety in 2019. These studies suggest that on average, a smartphone might host 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.

In 2022, another international study expressed concern over the use of smartphones by hospital staff. More recently, journalist Bobby Caina Calvan reported in the Seattle Times that your smartphone’s screen could gather more than 25,000 bacteria per square inch, a claim that was not sourced, however. This amount is three times that of a door handle (8,600 bacteria per square inch) and twenty times more than a public toilet seat (1,200 bacteria per square inch) in extreme cases, particularly without any cleaning.

Scientists strongly advise against using your device while in the bathroom to avoid exposure to fecal matter, and also while eating. Naturally, it’s best to minimize sharing your phone with others, especially if they haven’t washed their hands recently.

According to recent surveys in Belgium and Germany, about 30 to 40% of users seldom clean their smartphones (once a month). This is risky behavior when just a few seconds are needed to disinfect your device. Use a microfiber cloth lightly sprayed with a mixture of water and 70% isopropyl alcohol. Repeat this cleaning at least weekly.