Mobile phones SEVEN times dirtier than a toilet seat and those in leather cases are the worst
The study found that even mobiles with plastic cases are six times filthier than loo seats
TOILET seats are far cleaner than the average mobile phone – a shocking new study has revealed.
Initial Washroom Hygiene took swab samples from smartphones and found the average device is nearly seven times dirtier than a loo seat.
Those clad in leather cases harboured the most bacteria and even phones in easier-to-clean plastic cases have more than six times the germs found on loo seats, reports .
Initial Washroom Hygiene took swabs using a handheld device which highlights live microbes on the surface.
While loo swabs showed bacteria on around 220 areas around the seat, the average mobile phone boasted a disgusting 1,479 such spots.
Experts have warned that mobiles become filthy because people take them into the bathroom.
The study found 5 CFU per cm2 of yeast and bacteria on an office keyboard and mouse.
A third of people in the UK admit to never cleaning their phone, with one in 20 cleaning their phones less than once every six months.
Dr Shirin Lakhani, from Elite Aesthetics, said: “Our smartphones are a really big source of skin contamination and skin problems, namely acne.
“High concentrations of microscopic bacteria from your phone's screen mixed with oil and makeup from the skin, along with heat from the phone, breeds more bacteria.
“This can clog pores and often result in inflammation and acne.
“To combat these problems use a headset when on the phone for a lengthy period of time and regularly wipe your smartphone with an alcohol wipe to remove as much bacteria as possible before using it."
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