Do you regularly sanitize your smartwatch band? You’ll want to now. A scientific study published in May examined 20 different watch and fitness tracker bands and found 95% were contaminated with at least one type of harmful bacteria that can cause infections.
The paper detailed how researchers tested bands worn by 20 random, anonymous people. The wristbands were rubber, plastic, cloth, metal and leather, with the paper pointing out that we wear our watches and fitness trackers while working out, swimming, holding pets, eating and sleeping, and yet we do not often sanitize them.
Of the 20 watch bands, researchers found that 85% had Staphylococcus aureus (Staph aureus), 60% had Escherichia coli (E. coli) and 30% had Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) bacteria present. Rubber and plastic bands had the highest rates of harmful bacteria on them, while metallic gold and silver bands had the lowest, as published earlier by 9to5Mac.
The researchers labelled the issue as being “of public health significance,” adding that infections could be avoided if we sanitized our watch bands more often (or at all).
Luckily for us, they also researched how to clean the bacteria off.
How to sanitize your smartwatch band
Here’s how to clean your germ-ridden fitness tracker and smartwatch wristbands:
- Take your slimy watch off your wrist.
- Grab either Lysol Disinfectant Spray or a 70% Ethanol cleaner, like those little alcohol wipes. The researchers also tested apple cider vinegar, but found it was not effective on Staph aureus, even after 5 minutes of cleaning.
- Wipe your watch band. Then keep wiping. Lysol and 70% alcohol killed 99.99% of E. coli, Staph aureus and P. aeruginosa after 30 seconds of contact.
- If you’ve got a plastic wristband, keep wiping for 2 minutes. The researchers found that 30 seconds of exposure to Lysol or 70% Ethanol was not enough to kill harmful bacteria on plastic bands.
How often do you need to do this? The paper didn’t specify, beyond saying it should be “regular.”
Or you could just switch to a metal band, in particular one made of gold. And do not wear a plastic one if you’re germ conscious.
