Bacteria and mould can be a pain to deal with and worry about all-year round but there’s one bad habit in particular which an expert has claimed creates breeding grounds for both. The habit isn’t uncommon either, with nearly half of Brits doing it.
New research from Mira Showers shows 46 per cent of Brits admit to taking their phones into the bathroom every day while 43 per cent even admit to taking their device into the shower. However, in-house expert, Emily Robertson, warns against this as phones can pick up germs and bacteria circulating in the bathroom after flushing the toilet. She also stressed that repeated exposure to steam and moisture can encourage mould growth in phone cases and cause long-term damage to our devices.
Bringing phones into the bathroom could also lead to steam and moisture damage (Image: Getty)
The biggest culprits of this bad habit were found in the Northeast at 67 per cent. Northern Ireland at 60 per cent and thirdly in Yorkshire, with 51 per cent of residents admitting to the unhygienic ritual.
But the habit is understandable. The study found that 31 per cent bring it in to listen to music while in the shower. One in ten use it to listen to podcasts, a further 10 per cent for YouTube and 5 per cent use it to listen to audiobooks.
The shower expert explained exactly why people should try to break out of the bad habit.
She said: “You may think taking your phone into the bathroom is harmless, as it is considered a clean and sanitary environment, but germs and bacteria are constantly lingering in the air, especially after flushing the toilet, or post shower when steam is circulating around the room.
She explained that, as these germs are invisible, Brits often don’t think about the fact they’ll be transferring onto their devices. However, germs immediately land on and stick to any object that is lying around.
She elaborated on how the action can create a breeding ground for mould too.
“The steam circulating in the room cannot only cause damage to the device itself, but it can also cause mould to start growing within things like phone cases or iPad sleeves.”
She said: “The hot, damp conditions of a bathroom are the perfect environment for mould to grow, especially in phone cases, as they easily trap bacteria and are often warm from the heat of the phone’s battery.”
Behaviour specialist, Simbarashe Shamu, has explained why Brits should avoid the habit, even from a mental health perspective.
He explained: “Phones are built into everyday routines; they offer quick rewards and quick escape from discomfort. People pick up their phone because they are bored, waiting, tired, avoiding a task, looking for reassurance, or just responding to a familiar cue.”
He added that the bathroom was previously “one of the few natural pauses in the day where phones weren’t present”. Now, with technology, that small pause is often interrupted.
“The issue isn’t just screen time,” he continued. “[I]t’s that a space which could have allowed a short pause is turned into another source of prompts, stimulation and content.
“Those few minutes may seem minor, but small repeated pauses matter. They help us notice what we actually need instead of automatically reaching for the next distraction.”
Other dangers Brits should watch out for include electric shocks, if devices slip into wet conditions and steam and moisture damage to your phones, which happens over time, affecting your device’s screen and battery life.
