What kind of germs live on your smartphone, and are they all harmful?
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has made us more conscious of basic things like washing our hands and the things that we touch regularly, like smartphones, door handles and so on.
But what are the germs that are on your smartphone? And are they all harmful and trying to kill you?
iFixit decided to find out and engaged the help of Jason Lorenz, a fourth-year microbiology student. The video produced is quite enlightening.
It turns out that not all the germs on your phone are trying to kill you, and in fact many live on your skin normally and help keep down nastier bacteria that can cause hard. However, some are opportunistic and can sometimes cause problems.
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It's also interesting to note that according to Lorenz, the best method of cleaning a smartphone is to use a UV sanitizer, although he personally uses isopropyl alcohol because that also kills viruses and molds.
He also makes a good point in that we should be paying special attention to the back side of phones, because this is the bit that's most in contact with our hands.
Makes sense.
Lorenz also encourages us all to wash our hands, especially after using the restroom. I really didn't know that so many people needed reminding of this.
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