Touch screens on smartphones and tablets, harboring hundreds of viruses, could play a role in spreading illnesses like flu and the common cold, according to researchers, who advise keeping devices clean, especially during flu season.
"If you're sharing the device, then you're sharing your influenza with someone else who touches it," said Timothy Julian, a Stanford University student who co-authored the Journal of Applied Microbiology study. "If you put virus on a surface, like an iPhone, about 30 percent of it will get on your fingertips and a fair amount of it may go from your fingers to your eyes, mouth or nose."
A separate British study published last year also found mobile phones had 18 times more bacteria on handsets than on the flush lever of public toilets. This may be because flush levers are sanitized more often than the mobile phones, which most users admit they hardly ever clean.
But wiping a screen may not be enough and using homemade cleaning methods, like a bit of vinegar diluted in water, may risk damaging the phone and voiding the warranty claim.
Many manufacturers recommend the use of two different cleaning fluids. In one method, mobile users can put a little household alcohol on a good quality, lint-free cloth and clean all the parts except the screen. Another solvent, a patented screen cleaner, should be used to disinfect the screen.
Special cleaning swabs and fluids are also available in most phone shops and office suppliers, but care needs to be taken that they match the requirements of the manufacturers. In general, when using cleaning products on a phone, users must be cautious and not pour too much of the cleaning liquid on to the device.
Of course, regularly washing your hands and not letting other people touch your device will also reduce the risk of your phone being declared a public health risk.
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