Doctor urges people to never use their electronic devices whilst on the toilet
Fecal bacteria, such as E. coli, and Pseudomonas - which can trigger infections in the blood and lungs - can get onto the smart devices when they are in the bathroom.
Even if people wash their hands with soap, the germs can travel back to a person's hands.
Therefore, it is recommended that smartphones, tablets or other electronic devices are kept out of the bathroom, and regularly sanitised with alcohol wipes to prevent people from coming into contact with fecal bacteria.
Doctor Primrose Freestone, a professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Leicester, told MailOnline: "The phone will at some point get contaminated, so periodically disinfecting your phone is a good idea.
"My Nokia gets a disinfectant wipe over twice a week.
"Toilet areas adjacent to toilets, because of the toilet spray trajectory, are pretty contaminated.
"It does not matter where you go, there will be faecal bacteria on lots of [bathroom] surfaces.
"So soaps and taps, toilet and wash basin surfaces, door handles, bath mats – the list is long."
Dr. Freestone also said to avoid putting electronic devices on the floor around the toilet because it would - if not disinfected frequently - have traces of faeces."
The expert said: "The floor around the toilet will – if not disinfected regularly – have traces of faeces with lots of gut bacteria, which will stay alive for hours and days.
"So I would not put your phone on the floor next to the toilet as it is likely to pick up the faeces and the bacteria associated with the waste product."
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Doctor urges people to never use their electronic devices whilst on the toilet
People who use their electronic devices on the toilet risk their chance of getting diarrhea and stomach cramps. Fecal bacteria, such as E. coli, and Pseudomonas - which can trigger infections in the blood and lungs - can get onto the smart devices when they are in the bathroom. Even if people wash their hands with soap, the germs can travel back to a person's hands. Therefore, it is recommended that smartphones, tablets or other electronic devices are kept out of the bathroom, and regularly sanitised with alcohol wipes to prevent people from coming into contact with fecal bacteria. Doctor Primrose Freestone, a professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Leicester, told MailOnline: "The phone will at some point get contaminated, so periodically disinfecting your phone is a good idea. "My Nokia gets a disinfectant wipe over twice a week. "Toilet areas adjacent to toilets, because of the toilet spray trajectory, are pretty contaminated. "It does not matter where you go, there will be faecal bacteria on lots of [bathroom] surfaces. "So soaps and taps, toilet and wash basin surfaces, door handles, bath mats – the list is long." Dr. Freestone also said to avoid putting electronic devices on the floor around the toilet because it would - if not disinfected frequently - have traces of faeces." The expert said: "The floor around the toilet will – if not disinfected regularly – have traces of faeces with lots of gut bacteria, which will stay alive for hours and days. "So I would not put your phone on the floor next to the toilet as it is likely to pick up the faeces and the bacteria associated with the waste product."
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