Health Highlights | Swipe and Wipe

Summary

Key takeaways:

Scrolling your phone while on the toilet increases chance for bacteria, viruses and fungi to get on your phone
Close toilet lid before flushing to keep germs from spreading in your bathroom
Keep your toothbrush on the counter? You might want to stow that away safely
Clean and disinfect bathroom at least once a week. Once a day if you are sick

It's not just a waste of time anymore.

Now health professionals are warning the public about a number of health concerns that can come with sitting on the toilet too long and scrolling on your cell phone.

Many people have gotten into the habit of taking their phone into the bathroom with them and scrolling TikTok or Instagram while they do their business.

Kaylin Heinz, an infection preventionist registered nurse at OSF HealthCare, recommends making the mental decision to not even take your phone with you.

A simple flush doesn't get rid of the nastiness that is common in the restroom. Especially with bathrooms that have showers and bathtubs in them.

The moisture in the room can lead to bacteria, fungi and virus growth, not just inside the toilet, but on all bathroom surfaces.

Heinz calls these a “breeding ground” for germs.

“With sitting and scrolling, you're sitting there for long periods. Your hands are probably dirty before you go to the bathroom, because you're typically not washing your hands before you go to the bathroom. Then when you're sitting on the toilet, you're probably setting your phone down on a surface area that has germs," Heinz says. "Then you'll wash your hands, which you'll typically think your hands are clean, but they're not. Then you wash your hands and pick up the phone that was on the surface with germs, and now your hands are dirty again. And you're picking up the germs, taking them elsewhere, and spreading them to other people.”

Does your toothbrush hang out on the bathroom counter? You might want to rethink that.

Heinz says if it's not put away safely, it likely has fecal matter on it.

Another tip, she says, is to close the lid before flushing. It helps keep the germs inside and not aerosolize across the room.