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Winter flu season is in full swing, and with sickness spreading across the UK there is one item most people carry with them every day that could increase their risk of getting sick.
CloudZero swabbed mobile phones, laptop headphones, computer mice, and keyboards and sent them to the lab for analysis to determine just how much bacteria is lurking on our everyday devices.
The surprising result was that headphones were by far the dirtiest item, harbouring 1,073 bacteria colonies – more than what you’d find on a public toilet seat.
Some headphones even hit up to 3,000 colonies mean people should act now and clean their head and ear phones.
Dr. Maria Knobel, Medical Director of Medical Cert UK said it is crucial to make sure you are regularly cleaning your devices to stop yourself getting sick.
She said: “Tech devices, like smartphones, are touched frequently and placed on various surfaces — desks, counters, public transport, and bathrooms — collecting germs that easily transfer to our hands and face.
“For example, using a phone while eating, placing it on the gym floor, and later holding it to your face leads to an accumulation of bacteria, dirt, and oils.
“Devices should be cleaned daily to minimize the risk of infections like colds, flu, or acne, especially for those with active lifestyles who regularly expose their phones to different environments.”
A microfiber cloth and electronic-safe disinfectant help remove harmful buildup, reducing the chance of transferring germs.
The second dirtiest device was laptops with 645 colonies per sample. Some samples exceeded over 3,000 counts of bacteria — over seven times dirtier than a toilet seat and more than twice as many as a bin.
Surprisingly, mobile phones were the “cleanest” devices in the experiment, averaging 187 bacterial colonies — just three fewer than a bus handle. However, the dirtiest phone tested had 1,130 colonies, making it dirtier than a public rubbish bin.
