TL;DR

There can be up to 25,000 bacteria per square inch in an average cell phone, which is almost 18 times the amount of bacteria that one finds in a toilet seat. Scientific studies have shown the presence of pathogens such as E. coli, staphylococcus and salmonella on phones, which are capable of making people sick. The reason is that phones are carried everywhere all the time, get touched numerous times every single day but hardly ever cleaned. The best way of dealing with this problem is through UV-C sterilization.

How Dirty Is Your Phone, Really? Bacteria, Germs and What's Actually Living on Your Screen 

You wash your hands. You wipe down the kitchen counter. You'd never lick a subway pole. But then you spend four-plus hours a day pressing something to your face that's covered in more bacteria than a public restroom floor and most people never think twice about it.

How dirty is your phone? Dirtier than you probably want to know. Let's actually look at the numbers.

The Numbers: How Many Germs Are on Your Phone?

Studies show that there are more than 25,000 bacteria per square inch on cell phones on average. Toilet seats, by comparison, have roughly 1,000 bacteria per square inch. That’s why people say that your phone is dirtier than the toilet seat and it's not exaggerated.

Research has estimated that approximately 1.75 million bacteria exist on the touchscreen of a single smartphone and that microbial activity remains stable for at least 48 hours. In other words, germs on your phone screen don't just sit there passively, they survive, stay active and can even grow. 

• Your phone screen: ~25,000 bacteria per square inch

• Pet food dish: ~2,110 bacteria per square inch

• Kitchen counter: ~1,736 bacteria per square inch

• Toilet seat: ~1,000 bacteria per square inch

Your phone wins. By a lot. And unlike the toilet seat, nobody's disinfecting it daily.

What Bacteria Is on My Phone? Phone Bacteria vs. Toilet Seat

The phone bacteria vs. toilet seat comparison isn't just about quantity. It's also about what kind. Studies have found E. coli on every phone screen in tested samples. E. coli occurs in fresh fecal matter, meaning finding it on your screen is a reliable indicator of how often phones travel into bathrooms. 

So do phones carry E. coli? Yes, routinely. They also carry: 

• E. coli: a marker of fecal contamination, linked to gastrointestinal illness

• Staphylococcus aureus: a pathogenic bacteria linked to food poisoning, respiratory infections like pneumonia, skin infections and conditions like acne, boils and folliculitis, with an incubation time as short as 1-6 hours

• Salmonella: a leading cause of foodborne illness typically associated with contaminated food preparation surfaces

• MRSA: an antibiotic-resistant strain of staph that poses serious risk, particularly in healthcare settings

Why Your Phone Is One of the Dirtiest Things You Touch Every Day

Your phone doesn't accumulate this much bacteria by accident. It's the combination of where it goes and what never happens to it.

Your phone is among the dirtiest things you touch every day because it hits every environment you do (the gym, the bathroom, public transit, restaurants) and it almost never gets sanitized. Phones go everywhere, stored in warm, dark places like pockets and purses, where the battery heat acts like an incubator, creating the perfect environment for bacteria and viruses to thrive.

Meanwhile, your kitchen counter gets wiped after cooking. Your hands go under water before meals. Your phone? It just keeps collecting.

Phone Germs and Getting Sick: Is This Actually a Risk?

This is an association that can easily be overlooked, until one starts to consider the process involved every single time a person uses his smartphone. It goes close to their faces. It is touched by their hands and afterwards they touch their eyes, nose and mouth. They give it to their kids. They put it on the table of a restaurant and then grab it to eat food off of it.

It is true that each time a smartphone is brought close to one’s face, particularly near the eyes, nose, mouth and ears, there is a danger of introducing bacteria straight into a person’s bloodstream via their weakest spots. This poses a particular threat to infants, elderly people, and those whose immune system is compromised.

The pathogens that exist on the screen of one’s smartphone cause stomach bugs, respiratory problems, skin diseases.

How to Sanitize Your Phone the Right Way

How to sanitize your phone is where most advice goes wrong. A dry cloth moves bacteria around. A damp cloth risks moisture damage. Alcohol wipes work for the moment but degrade screen coatings over time with regular use.

The most effective method (and the one that requires zero tradeoffs) is UV-C light sanitization. PhoneSoap uses UV-C light to eliminate 99.99% of bacteria and viruses in a single 10-minute cycle. No chemicals, no moisture, no screen damage. The UV-C light reaches every exposed surface simultaneously, including the back, sides and edges that a wipe always misses.

It's the same technology used in hospital disinfection, now available in a device that fits on your nightstand and charges your phone at the same time. For everything else that travels everywhere with you (keys, earbuds, wallets) HomeSoap handles larger items in the same cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions 

How many bacteria are on the average cell phone screen?

Research consistently demonstrates more than 25,000 bacteria found per square inch on the average smartphone display, which is significantly higher than those found on a toilet seat, about 1,000 per square inch and on kitchen counters. Scientific studies published in the reputable peer-reviewed microbiology journals state that there may be as much as 1.75 million bacteria living on one smartphone touch display for up to 48 hours.

Can you get sick from the germs on your phone?

Yes, they do. There are many studies showing the relation between germs on cell phones and diseases. Pathogens that can cause disease can exist on our cell phones such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella. Each time we put our cell phones next to our faces or before we eat, we expose ourselves directly to these pathogens.

Why is your phone dirtier than a toilet seat?

There are basically two reasons for the "dirtier than the toilet seat" issue: the number of contacts and the number of disinfections. Your phone touches your body multiple times during a single day, is exposed to bacteria-laden areas like restrooms, sits on unhygienic surfaces and even touches your face but is almost never sanitized. In comparison, the toilet seat is much more often cleaned and touched.

What is the safest way to clean your phone without damaging the screen?

Sanitization using UV-C light is both safe and effective. While alcohol wipes will cause degradation of the protective screen coating due to repeated usage and damp wipes can result in damage from water exposure, UV-C light sterilizes your phone by destroying 99.99% of germs without even coming into contact with the surface of the screen. PhoneSoaps' UV disinfectors require only ten minutes for a complete cycle.

How often should you sanitize your phone if you have kids at home?

Sanitizing every day is the best method to practice when you have young kids at home because they are even more susceptible to infections caused by germs found on phones. Sanitize at least once you’ve been anywhere in public: stores, restaurants, public transport or anywhere else and before passing your phone onto your kids. With a UV-C sanitizer, all you need to do is set it and forget it every single day.