PSA: Your Smartwatch Is 30 Times Dirtier Than A Toilet Seat | Men's Health Magazine Australia

PSA: Your Smartwatch Is 30 Times Dirtier Than A Toilet Seat

I know what you’re thinking: gross, right? Especially considering new research shows this tiny piece of tech houses more germs than a toilet seat… Yup. In an effort to find out which devices we use on reg are the dirtiest, retailer CompareMyMobile took it upon themselves to swab a bunch of smartphones, keyboards, smartwatches and video game […]

I know what you’re thinking: gross, right? Especially considering new research shows this tiny piece of tech houses more germs than a toilet seat… Yup.

In an effort to find out which devices we use on reg are the dirtiest, retailer CompareMyMobile took it upon themselves to swab a bunch of smartphones, keyboards, smartwatches and video game controllers. They were testing for three types of bacteria, in particular: coliforms (which, FYI, are found in human waste), infection-causing staphylococci and Enterobacteriaceae (a bacterial family that includes the likes of E.Coli and Salmonella).

Out of the above, smartphones were the worst culprits, boasting more than 250 bacteria colonies per cm2. To put this into perspective, this is 3,746 per cent more bacteria than a toilet seat. Grim.

Smartphones came in second, with 100 colonies per cm2, closely followed by keyboards, then game controllers. Btw, these types of bacteria are known to cause illnesses, e.g. food poisoning, skin infections and (in extreme cases) pneumonia and toxic shock syndrome.
 
“Our tests found that smartwatch owners should regularly be cleaning their tech, making sure to clean both the watch face and strap.” Daniel Clifford, a spokesperson from CompareMyMobile said. “This is especially true if you use your wearable to track your fitness at the gym or when you run as this can cause them to get particularly dirty.”


This article originally appeared on Women’s Health

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