Ok, trash cans are pretty dirty and they can have 411 different forms of bacteria per square inch. For our customers who have their trash cans disinfected regularly, your smartphone is easily dirtier than your trash can!
Reason one: according to a study done by researchers at the London School for Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, fecal matter can be found on 1 out of every 6 smartphones. We take our phones everywhere. My grandparents had a rotary phone that hung on the wall. Grandma and Grandpa weren’t taking their phone with them when they were cleaning the kitchen, gardening, walking the dog or outside feeding the cats. I on the other hand, always have my phone near. I’m not alone. I’m sure you do the same thing.
Reason two: Many people work in offices and leave their cell phones sitting out on their desk. This maybe your phone’s home for nearly 40 hours a week. A study by the University of Arizona shows office desks dirtier than office bathrooms and can have hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than an office toilet seat.
Reason three: Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, says we touch more surfaces than any generation in history. From ATM machines to self-checkout counters. Our hands and fingers are picking up germs constantly then we bring them up near our face to touch out nose, mouth or eyes when we use our cell phones. And if you hand your phone to your young child…there may be a whole new level of germ infestation that those cute little people are smearing all over your phone.
Bottom line, let’s all start wiping our phones down regularly. The CDC estimates that 80% of all infections are transmitted by hands and our cell phones have essentially become an extension of our hands since the average person picks up their cell phone every 12 minutes.
There are good bacteria, but phones are covered in a lot of bad bacteria. So when you wash your hands you may want to consider wiping done that smartphone too.
Our slogan at clean R cans is “clean smells good”, but in this instance “clean can help you feel good”, especially if it helps keep those bad bacteria away from your hands, nose, and mouth. Clean on, my friends.