Hygiene alert! Your watch could be ‘three times dirtier’ than a toilet seat

While we are making sure that the pillow cases are changed every two days, makeup brushes cleaned after a foundation smack on the face, wiping off the phone screen for fear of ‘dirt’ and germs, a new study has found an item to be as dirty or even dirtier than the things we pay our utmost, cleaning importance to.

A new study has found that watches are ‘three times dirtier’ than the average toilet seat, according to the findings by watch and sunglasses specialist, Tic Watches.  The evaluation of the watches was conducted by the company who a swab test of ten different types of watches, which looked for aerobic bacteria, yeast and mould.

The result showed a worrisome amount of dirt with even one person’s Fitbit showing to have eight times more bacteria than a toilet seat and flush handle. 

Overall, plastic and leather options also carried more dirt than metal ones. What’s more, it was found that 24% of British people never clean their watch and 21% do so less than every six months. Before you start scrubbing away with the antibacterial wipes bear in mind that different watches require different cleaning methods.

However, it’s recommended that you give it a wipe with a dry, soft cloth every night and a thorough clean once a month. ‘Whether you wear a watch every day, or just during working hours, one thing is for certain, we don’t clean them as much as we wash our hands,’ said Daniel Richmond, managing director of Tic Watches.

‘Unfortunately, not all watches are waterproof, so avoiding any contact with water when we’re wearing them could be the main reason for a build-up of bacteria. ‘For those who wear a watch every day, we recommend giving it a good clean at least once a month’ he added.