It’s the ultimate modern multitask: bathroom break + Instagram scroll. But bringing your phone into the bathroom? Big mistake—like fecal-bacteria-on-your-face level mistake.
According to Dr. Primrose Freestone, a clinical microbiologist at the University of Leicester, your phone becomes a germ magnet the second it steps foot (or screen) in your bathroom. We’re talking E. coli (cue the cramps and diarrhea) and Pseudomonas, a bug that loves to mess with your lungs and bloodstream.
Even if you’re a soap-and-sink champion, those bugs bounce right back the moment you touch your contaminated phone again. And it gets worse.
Every time you flush, a cloud of microscopic toilet spray—yes, toilet plume—shoots up to five feet into the air in under eight seconds. That means anything within range, from your phone to your face, gets a fine mist of invisible…well, you know.
Is putting your phone on the floor or the windowsill safer? Think again. That floor is a breeding ground for bacteria unless it’s cleaned regularly. And yes, the plume still escapes even if the lid is down.
Dr. Freestone’s advice? Don’t just hold your breath—leave the phone out of the bathroom entirely. Can’t bear to be separated? Keep it in your pocket the whole time and don’t set it down.
Your phone is a high-touch object, just like door handles and faucet knobs, so sanitize it regularly with a 70% alcohol wipe or mild soap and water. Just don’t dunk it in bleach.
