More and more restaurants have started using mobile technologies to improve their service and efficiency when serving customers. Such devices could be POS systems, tablet menus, and remote card payment machines. Other mobile devices are being used to manage food preparation and safety in accordance with inspection regulations.
The problem however, lies in the way staff and customers are sharing screens while at the same time handling food. Germs and bacteria can easily transfer from one hand to another through these surfaces.
How dirty are the screens?
Scientists have found that the average cell phone is 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat and you will find some of the worst bacteria such as Streptococcus Aureus, MRSA, and E. Coli thriving on the surface of your screen. People are especially at risk when touching hands or other surfaces and then touching their own screens afterwards. This problem gets even worse when brought into the restaurant industry as well as other food and beverage handling services using new technology.
How can you prevent germs from being transferred from one person to another?
1. Stop bringing your phone to the toilet
Research has shown that bringing your phone to the toilet (although very handy if you want to pass the time) also means you are at risk of exposing your screen to E. Coli bacteria found in your stool. Even if you don’t see it, flushing your toilet sends thousands of particles into the air and lands around your toilet where you phone or tablet might be residing.
2. Clean or sanitize your hands often
After toilet visits (also in nature) don’t forget to clean or sanitize your hands. Problem is that sanitizers often dry out peoples skin and many are not comfortable using them.
3. Clean your devices often
This is something most people fail to do. Many just tend to brush off their cellphones in a piece of cloth or in their shirt. This however, will not kill the germs and bacteria hiding on your screen but only make it “look” shiny and clean again. If you are a “cleaning freak” you might bring with you an alcohol sanitizer and clean your screen every so often. The problem is that many of these germs and bacteria will only come back as soon as you touch someones hands or other dirty surfaces and then touch your phone or device again.
4. Use a self cleaning coating
Yes, you heard it right. There are actually self-cleaning coatings out there based on Nano particles, which can actively kill germs and bacteria on a cell phone or other surfaces. Particles such as Titanium Dioxide or Silver react in a special way at the Nanoscale and are able to wipe out the bacteria as soon as the coated surface is exposed to light.
For more info about how you can protect yourself from germs and bacteria visit www.gadgetsanitizer.com or www.nanofixit.com
