Nowadays, a lot of people go to the bathroom with their phones. However, it appears that this may be a very dangerous habit. Namely, this exposes you to germs like salmonella, E. coli, and C diff. According to hygiene expert Dr. Lisa Ackerley, if you wipe your buttock and then pick up your phone, you shouldn’t bother washing your hands as the bacteria you put on your phone ends up on your hands anyway. Therefore, Dr. Ron Cutler, director of biomedical science degrees at Queen Mary’s University in London, advises people not to go to the toilet with their phones.
The level of contamination depends on where the toilet is. That is, going to the office bathroom with your phone is not as problematic as taking your phone in a hospital or cruise ship restroom where there are all kinds of viruses and bacteria.
Ackerley goes on to explain that viruses don’t transfer only by hands. Therefore, avoid leaving your toothbrush close to the toilet and putting your phone on the toilet roll holder or any near shelf. Believe it or not, germs and bacteria can remain on the phone for several days. This is because the phone heats up and warms up the environment for the bacteria.
Cutler emphasizes that leaving a sticky coating on the phone from handling sweets creates the best environment for bacteria. All in all, avoid taking your phone into the toilet and leave it in the bag before going in.