cell phone smartphone bacteria hands Shutterstock/ImYanis


When was the last time you cleaned your phone?






Studies have found many different types of bacteria and viruses on phones. It's common to find bacteria that live on skin and in the respiratory tract, as well as bacteria that live in fecal matter, according to Philip Tierno, a microbiologist and pathologist at the New York University School of Medicine.

And while most of those bacteria won't make you sick, they're not all completely harmless. Various studies have found E. coli, MRSA, Streptococcus, and many other species living on mobile phones.


To be clear, most of us aren't getting sick from our phones, just like we don't usually get sick from the potentially harmful bacteria on our sponges, sheets, or towels. Part of that is because many of the microbes living on our phones are our own — though using a sick friend's phone would be a great way to pick up a cold or flu virus. But those bacteria are there and in some cases, they could potentially make someone seriously ill. There's research indicating phones could transmit antibiotic-resistant pathogen infections in hospitals.

"It is wise to periodically clean your phone," Tierno told Business Insider. "I [clean] mine at the end of each day with just a wipe."


As for frequency, Tierno recommended a daily wipedown. If you miss it once or twice, that's okay. But try to remember.

"If you're not cleaning your phone, you should," he said.