It’s often said that smartphone screens are as unhygienic as toilet seats, and when you run your fingers across your smartphone screen it can quickly turn into a giant swarm of germs. Playing music while working outdoors, answering calls while cleaning, and playing games while us

It's often said that smartphone screens are as unhygienic as toilet seats, and when you swipe your finger across your smartphone screen it can quickly turn into a giant swarm of germs. Playing music while working outdoors, answering calls while cleaning, and playing games while using the bathroom are all situations that are not conducive to smartphone screen hygiene. But the unhygienic nature of smartphone screens isn’t really that bad.

A German professor specializing in microbiology and hygiene has published the results of his research claiming that smartphones are not so unhygienic.

According to the professor, smartphone touch screens "do not provide good living conditions for microorganisms" because it is very slippery, dry and nutrient-poor. A bit of dander or a bit of grease is more likely to stick to it. Furthermore, we often clean our smartphones unintentionally - for example by rubbing them on pants or a T-shirt, which mechanically removes bacteria. In addition, we can remove 80% to 90% of microorganisms by simply wiping with a microfiber cloth (such as Apple's polishing cloth).

When asked where you should put your smartphone when going to the toilet, the professor said where you put it is not the point, the key is your hands. If you touch your smartphone with hands contaminated by fecal bacteria, the bacteria will naturally stay on it. But if you practice good hand hygiene, this shouldn't happen.

According to the professor, use in the kitchen is even more critical. For example, when defrosting chicken, there is a huge possibility of food bacteria contaminating your smartphone. There are millions to tens of per cubic centimeter on a piece of meat. Billions of bacteria. Also, sometimes you put your fingers in your mouth to taste food and then touch your phone with your fingers, which may not happen in the toilet.

Therefore, you can continue to use your smartphone in the toilet, but after cooking, you should give it a thorough cleaning.