It’s often thought of as one of the dirtiest places in the home.
But a new study has warned that the toilet pales in comparison to several gadgets you touch all day without thinking twice about it.
Research by CloudZero found that your headphones, laptop, computer mouse, keyboard, and phone could be harbouring thousands of colonies of bacteria.
The dirtiest devices of all are headphones, where an average of 1,073 colonies of bacteria thrive in the warm, damp environment around your ears.
Some laptops, meanwhile, hold twice as many bacteria as a public bin and are home to more mould than any other piece of tech.
Experts say that forgetting to clean these common devices could be exposing you to potentially harmful pathogens.
Dr Maria Knobel, medical director of Medical Cert UK, says: ‘Tech devices, like smartphones, are touched frequently and placed on various surfaces — desks, counters, public transport, and bathrooms — collecting germs that easily transfer to our hands and face.’
As the items we handle most frequently throughout the day, our personal devices are often magnets for dirt and grime.
To see just how dirty our tech really is, researchers swabbed 38 devices as well as bins, bus handles, and toilet seats for context.
The samples were then sent to the lab and allowed to grow on petri dishes.
By counting the number of distinct bacterial colonies that emerged, scientists were able to estimate how many different strains of bacteria were living on the original device.
Coming in as the dirtiest of all devices were headphones which had 1,073 colonies of bacteria on average.
For comparison, that makes the average pair of headphones twice as dirty as a toilet seat, which had 425 colonies, and only just cleaner than the average public bin at 1,100.
However, some individual pairs of headphones tested produced more than 3,000 colonies of bacteria – seven times more than the toilet.
This is likely because the sweat and heat from our heads create the perfect breeding ground for bacteria to flourish and grow.
In second place were laptops which were home to 645 colonies of bacteria on average.
That means the laptop you use to work, watch TV, or play games could be more than three times as dirty as the handles on the bus which produced only 190 colonies.
Laptops were closely followed by computer mice, which came in third place with 408 colonies and keyboards in fourth with 237.
The researchers found that the cleanest of all our personal devices are phones, which harbour only 187 colonies of bacteria on average.
However, there is no guarantee your own device will be clean since the dirtiest phones tested in the study were covered with 1,130 different bacterial colonies.
What makes this particularly worrying is that phones are the devices we come into the closest contact with, increasing the risk of transferring dangerous bacteria.
Dr Knobel says: ‘For example, using a phone while eating, placing it on the gym floor, and later holding it to your face leads to an accumulation of bacteria, dirt, and oils.’
However, it isn’t just the number of bugs living on your devices that is a problem but also the specific varieties.
For example, the bacteria Staphylococcus and Micrococcus were found on almost all devices.
These common bacteria are usually found on our skin or in the environment and are likely transferred to devices by humans.
Neither are particularly dangerous to a healthy individual but staphylococcus can cause infections, and Micrococcus may pose risks for those with weakened immune systems.
More worrying was the presence of the Pseudomonas bacteria found growing on some headphones and computer mice.
This bacterium is commonly found in cockroach droppings and can lead to eye infections, skin rashes, pus-filled pimples, diarrhoea, headaches, and other conditions.
For those with weakened immune systems, Pseudomonas can even lead to pneumonia, urinary tract infections and sepsis.
To make matters worse, the bacteria is also known for its high levels of antibacterial resistance, making infections extremely difficult to treat.
In hospital settings, this cockroach-borne bacteria is known to be a leading cause of infections among patients with poor health.
Additionally, keyboards, phones, and laptop trackpads were found to be particularly prone to harbouring mould.
This is a type of fungus which grows in damp, environments with an abundance of food sources and reproduces by releasing spores into the air.
For people with asthma or weakened immune systems, the presence of mould can lead to respiratory issues, allergic reactions, and irritation.
Dr Knobel says it is, therefore, important that people take steps to keep their devices clean.
She advises: ‘Devices should be cleaned daily to minimize the risk of infections like colds, flu, or acne, especially for those with active lifestyles who regularly expose their phones to different environments.
‘During cold and flu seasons, tech devices can harbor viruses for up to 24 hours, increasing the risk of transmission.’
To clean your device thoroughly, use an electronic-safe cleaning solution or disinfectant and a soft microfibre cloth.
For keyboards, first turn the device upside down and shake gently to remove the debris which can be the perfect breeding ground for mould and bacteria.
Likewise, when cleaning your phone, be sure to first remove the case and brush away any visible dirt or debris.
The FCC’s official advice is to use a cloth lightly dampened with soapy water but be careful not to get any liquids into your devices.
To avoid the risk of damage, unplug and turn off your electronics before cleaning and avoid any harsh chemicals such as bleach or abrasives.
After cleaning, allow plenty of time to dry thoroughly before turning it back on.
