Make Sure Your Tablet Screen Is Not Dirtier Than a Toilet Seat

In August 2018 results of a study into the use of smartphones revealed that-

The average smartphone screen is more than three times dirtier than a toilet seat

The Metro reported that swabs of smartphones revealed quantities of “yeast, mold and aerobic bacteria” present on some smartphones.

Those results may or may not surprise you as at least a third of users reportedly never clean their smartphones.

So what about you?

Some workers using personal computers have a regular desk cleaning routine. I certainly did when I worked in an administration role on a busy N.H.S hospital ward.

My work space was slap bang in the thick of it.

Airborne infections were a worry but then there was hand hygiene.

Other staff would use my designated work P.C. and my desk phone. Staff passing through the ward would also simply grab the phone or use the P.C. without so much as a by your leave!

I would catch a member of staff sat at my desk with a pen I had been using and it was stuck in this person’s mouth!

I kept a stash of wipes and various cleaning products in my desk drawers, plus spare pens, busily cleaning up after intrusive staff but there were times I had no idea who may have used the equipment.

This meant a cleaning routine was vital.

First thing each morning and each time I returned to the ward I gave my work area a quick clean up.

Perhaps this is why in 13 years I never contracted Norovirus even when the ward I was working on was closed due to an outbreak.

Recent tech advances have resulted in so many people using a smartphone or tablet. It is also possible to have a touchscreen computer which is great but what about germs?

In the U.K. we seem to have a new breed of addicts - Smartphone addicts.

Young women with small children along for the ride sit on public transport engrossed in their Smartphone. The kids can scream and shout but Mum’s eyes will not leave that small screen as her fingers busily work away. Virtual Zombies wander city centres, towns and residential areas. They stare with a fixed expression at the smartphone screen oblivious to the world.

Is the U.K. accident rate higher these days? It should be.

But the point is these phones are used in toilets, on buses, in shops, in cinemas, in pubs, in cafes, at home, at work and just about anywhere yet they are rarely if ever cleaned!

With so many infections on the increase yet so many traditional antibiotics failing we all need to consider our health and have good hygiene practices.

Many supermarkets sell small bottles of disinfectant hand gel which can be used when you are out and about.

However you cannot beat normal hand washing if you do it properly and regularly.

It is a fact that many people do not wash their hands often enough each day.

This means that your hands may be covered in germs - Those hands that will tap away on your tablet or phone screen.

Get a cleaning routine and stick to it:-

• Wash your hands regularly and dry them properly.
• Apply hand cream to prevent dry skin on your hands. Dry skin can result in cracks where infections can lurk.
• Wipe your tablet and phone screens regularly. We use eye-wear cleaning wipes. Check which are suitable to use safely on screens.
• Don’t use another person’s smartphone or tablet. Prevent cross infections if possible at all times.
• Clean the case and outside of your tablet and smartphone occasionally.
• Put your phone and tablet away at times. Switch them off and enjoy the freedom

Instead of having your gadget to hand all the time try limiting its usage. Resist the urge to constantly check for incoming messages.

Above all get a cleaning routine and never risk your health.

When you are using a public lavatory do you really need to be using your smartphone at the same time?

I think not.