Mobile Hygiene - Mobile Cleaning Solutions

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. It is now safe to turn on your electronic devices for the remainder of the flight.”

As a traveler, you know how relieving this announcement can be because, if you’re like most people today, your cell phone or smartphone is your most useful device during your journey.

Our cell phones, laptops, and tablets allow us to stay connected to our jobs, family, facebook (very important) and they make our overall traveling experience much easier. Today, various apps allow you to check in on flights, create itineraries, convert currency, and translate spoken words into multiple languages. Add in the photo capturing, music player and mobile web capabilities, and our cell phones and smartphones get handled a lot during trips.

A New Health Risk to Mobile Users

Now research shows that an average cell phone carries more germs than a public toilet seat, and most phones are covered with nasty creatures like Staphylococcus, MRSA and many others that not only will make you sick, but also, in severe cases, can be deadly. Scary? We think so too. It’s no secret that we are more prone to infection from germs while traveling, so taking time to clean your cell phone is a good idea.

Considering how often we snuggle up against our phones during a call, or text away during lunch, or perhaps plan the next leg of our trip from an exotic coast, cleaning the only item that follows us everywhere and often touches our face is a wise tip for today’s travelers.

Don’t let being sick put a damper on your next excursion. Clean your cell phone and tell your friends and family to do the same.

Link to video here

Using a handheld germ reader, the testers found the average phone harbors more germs than an office desk, a computer keyboard, and even a toilet seat. The report also stated that when you pick up a phone about a third of those germs transfer to your hands and subsequently your face.  More than half of the mobile phones tested had virulent bacteria at levels that were considered unacceptable to Environmental Scientist Sheri Carlino who conducted the study. One girl even got a score of 442, which meant that her phone contained something like 100,000 bacteria.

“Researchers have found the flu virus, staph infection, MRSA, and more on mobile phones” reports GMA Consumer Correspondent Elisabeth Learny. “Since so many people handle their phones while they’re eating, those germs have a direct path into our bodies.” Ms. Learny warns virtually all cell phone users are at risk because cell phones have become constant companions and extensions of our hands.

You’ve probably already heard than an average cell phone, including yours, likely carries more germs than a public toilet seat. Studies have shown the bacteria exist in large numbers on cell phones, tablet computers, laptops, and other mobile and personal electronic devices which can then be transferred to the user. All it takes to pass it along is one text or one phone call. When the virus is on your fingers it’s easy to transfer it to the nose, mouth, ears, and face. And when you’re on a call with the phone pressed up against your face, the risk of bacteria transfer to the body, as well as rashes and other skin reactions, is even higher. Good Morning America tested a few cell phones in December 2010 with some alarming results.

More research is needed to pin down the true health risks of touching and handling a piece of glass and plastic all day, and holding it close to the face. The question is, are the germs and bacteria found common cell phones harmful to your health? If so, are we supposed to stop using cell phones altogether? (not happening). Should you sterilize your cell phone every night or after every call? Use a protective cover? Only use speakerphone or Bluetooth? What can you do to reduce your health risk to the germ and bacterial accumulation that inevitably builds up on every cell phone, especially popular touchscreen smartphones?

The Effect Your Cell Phone May Be Having On Your Skin

Got a rash or breakout on one side of your face? It may not be your pillow, but your cell phone that’s the culprit. You have no idea how dangerous a life your phone really leads. The average lifespan of a cell phone is somewhere around two years - and two years is a lot of time for bacteria to accumulate on your device

We all know that germs are everywhere, but consider that when they’re on your phone, they infect your fingertips, then your face. With each call, you are now pressing all that collected gunk against your cheek which may be causing a new medical condition some British scientists are calling mobile dermatitis. 

Zits From Your Cell Phone

Considering how much bacteria has been found on a average cell phone, at the very least it will lead to pimples and rashes, or worse a flu or other type of nasty infection. If you rubbed your face against a public handrail for hours a day, you would break out too.

Everyone wants to look great, and part of that is doing everything you can to keep your complexion looking clear. A modern health tip is to clean the one item you probably use more than anything else throughout the day: your cell phone. Not only will it help reduce your chances of a flu infection, but it will make it that much easier to look and feel your best.