Why you shouldn’t use your phone in the toilet.

Your mobile phones are your greatest companion. Sometimes when you wake up, it’s the first thing you demand to see first – maybe to check the time or put off an alarm. You run to them when you’re bored and you need to liven up. No doubt they make things easy for you to do.

Phone technology has advanced and in some ways, it has affected our way of life. It has altered the way we think, the way we carry out tasks, isolates and distracts us… Argh! Even bathroom time!

Gone are the days when people don’t take their phones to the toilet/bathroom – phone tech has advanced way more than that. Infact, a lot of people feel irritated and stressed when they don’t take their phones with them to the toilet. No doubt, it has certainly changed how we spend our time in the toilet.

According to research, 75% of people use their phones in the toilet, which can be very dangerous to your health. There is even a possibility that you’re reading this article on the toilet…correct?

What does this cause?

Using your mobile phone in the toilet could expose you to germs such as salmonella, E.coli(urinary tract infections), and C. Difficile which can make you sick. Your phone is easily the best way to pick up hundreds of bacteria.

What if I just put my phone somewhere in the toilet but I don’t operate it?

Well, this could expose your phone to dangerous bugs! Your phone could even pick up germs from where you placed it – the toilet is full of germs!

Germs can stay on your phone for a couple of days, just waiting to leap to your swiping fingers. Ha! To make matters even worse, your phone heats up a little bit giving bacteria a nice warm environment. Phone covers and cases are usually made out of rubber, which is a warm and comfortable area for bacteria.

What if I take my phone to the toilet? What should I do?

There are times when it’s just so important that you take your phone with you to the toilet. Maybe to make a secret call or the fear of getting it stolen while using a public toilet. What should I do?

Then, you perform a risk assessment:

Read the phone in your right hand, then transfer it to the left. Wipe with your right, flush with the right, carry the phone out in your left hand without touching anything else and then wash your hands.

(Read also: How Important is Hand Washing to You?)

If you wipe your bum then pick up your phone, you may as well not bother washing your hands because all the bacteria you put on your phone will end up back in your hands.

The solution?

It’s not really a huge problem to use the phone inside the toilet, but the type of environment the toilet is located matters. Never make use of your phone in a public toilet. 

Wash your hands regularly, especially after using a toilet/bathroom or touching anyone else’s phone.