That's unbelievable so this is the bacteria on my phone and this is the bacteria on a toilet seat
are you sure that's right? "Yes 100%" that's pretty amazing
have you ever stopped and wondered just how dirty your phone is
just think of all the places that you use it on your commute, at work, at the dining table
and even in the toilet yes you heard me right some people actually use their phone in the toilet
but I hope, that's not you
scientists have found that your mobile phone carries ten times more bacteria than a toilet seat
I know I couldn't believe it either
now the average person checks their phone about 47 times per day
which gives plenty of opportunities for the microorganisms from your fingers to go onto your phone
now let's see what microbes are on my phone
so I've come to my old University the University of Bradford to find out more by doing some
cool experiments Dr Isreb from the Bradford School of Pharmacy knows his stuff
when it comes to microorganisms
Hi there, "Hi good to see you". Good to see you too
So I heard you're going to show me the microbes on my phone, "Yes that's correct, let's go"
So what have you tested today Dr Isreb
"so we transferred the sample from your phone, your skin, toilet seat, cleaned phone"
"into a petri dish to see what's bacteria will grow there"
I'm really excited about this but I'm also a little nervous as to what you're gonna find
"so in terms of the number of bacterial colonies your skin came on top"
"followed by your phone, toilet seat and cleaned phone"
"so if we compare the number of bacteria on your phone to the toilet seat"
"we found there is significantly more bacteria on the phone"
that's unbelievable so this is the bacteria on my phone and this is the bacteria on a toilet seat
are you sure that's right? "yes 100%" that's pretty amazing
so now that we've seen exactly how much bacteria is on my phone is this
something that we should be worried about?
"human skin is naturally covered in microbes that don't usually have a negative effect on our health"
"here's a sample we took earlier from your skin compared to your phone"
so is there any bacteria that should concern us?
"actually studies have found serious pathogens on our mobile phones including Streptococci"
"E.coli and even MRSA. Viruses can also spread on phones so if someone has sore throat or influenza"
"and hands their phone to a friend they could potentially get it"
so these microbes they will make us automatically sick but if
they get into our system they potentially make us quite ill "exactly"
fortunately there's an easy way to cleaning your phone all you need is a clean microfiber cloth, distilled or
clean bottled water, a mini spray bottle and 70% isopropyl alcohol which you can
buy easily online or from the pharmacy be careful though as it is very
flammable to make your cleaning solution fill your spray bottle halfway with
water and fill the other half with 70% isopropyl alcohol the 70% concentration
is said to be less harsh and abrasive on your screen compared to the higher
concentration now screw the cap back on and give it a good shake lightly spray
the solution onto your microfiber cloth then rub it all over your phone
especially the buttons this guide is for once a week disinfecting I wouldn't do it
every day as it can damage your screen coating so do at your own risk or just
use a dry microfiber cloth let's see how well this method works
"so if you look at the petri dish after cleaning your phone you can find there is significantly"
"less bacteria compared to the initial test" it's really incredible to see just
how well that quick clean method works
"yes in fact even wiping your phone daily with a dry clean microfiber cloth will remove many microorganisms"
so I guess to conclude these microbes wont make us automatically sick but if they get into
our system and we have a weakened immune system they could potentially make us
very ill which is why I think it's super important for healthcare professionals
in particular to keep their phones stored away whilst at work because
as we've just seen phones can be a great reservoir for microbes and it's going to
help the spread from patient to patient
Dr Isreb also taught me another tip and that's not to take your phone into the toilet because when you flush the
germs spread everywhere and that's how you get you E.coli on your phone so keep
your phone in the other room it's also important to remember that still the
best advice is to wash your hands several times a day properly and you'll
most likely be fine now to watch how to wash hands properly the NHS have made a
fantastic video which I've left a link in the description below and that's it
let me know what you think of this week's video by leaving a comment below
because I'd love to read it being back at the University of Bradford has
brought back so many great memories especially when I was in the School of Pharmacy earlier
a special thank you to Professor Rattray, Dr Isreb and Damian because without you
this video wouldn't have been possible
hey guys thanks for watching this week's video make sure to click that like, follow
or subscribe button now to stay up today with new weekly videos
yes no? "Yeah that's fine it's just when you come here and you're like, I couldn't believe it either"
"smile, wash your hands, done" than a toilet seat I know I couldn't believe it either
that was so much smiling that (LAUGHTER) how much more do you want me to smile? "that was perfect"
these phones can be a reservoir for microbes, do you want to come through (LAUGHTER)
now let's see what microbes are on my phone, did you like that one Junaid? "yeah" shall I do one more for you?