Cellphones Ten Times Dirtier Than Toilet Seats

When I've seen someone with a pen in their mouth, I've often asked "do you know where that pen has been?" Other times I've asked "would you lick the bathroom floor?" Pens are notoriously dirty since they are constantly being touched by our germ laden hands. However, a new report suggest that cellphones are just as bad when it comes to the grime factor.

In fact, the new reports suggest that cellphones are 10 times dirtier than the toilet seat. Because toilets tend to be associated with grime (and other unmentionables), they are cleaned more often than cellphones. The biggest problem with cellphones is that we spend a lot of time with them and they are in close contact with our faces and mouths. However, it isn't the fact that individual phones are germy–it's when we share phones that the problem begins. Because we're accustomed to our own germs, the germs we transfer to our own cellphones don't make us sick. But other people don't always have the same immunities to the germs we transmit. Check out the video below for a demonstration of how many germs are on cellphones.

Another common household item that is very dirty is the remote control. Remote controls are probably shared more often than cellphones since many people can watch the same TV. Similar to cellphones, remote controls are rarely cleaned since they aren't associated with germs in most people's minds. Other common germy items include shopping cart handles, the first floor button of elevators, and office phones. The easiest way to avoid contamination from these things? Use antibacterial wipes before using them or try not to share them if possible.