Cell Phone in the Toilet

Hi L.,
Happened to me, I was fine, cellphone was fine. I got it so fast, even an cellphone expert couldn't tell it had been in water. My son wouldn't use it, I did.
Blessings and Health,
S.
Melaleuca Mom

Despite the high gross-out-factor -- You are over-reacting :)

Have a glass of wine -- You'll be fine. The life of a mommy involves all sorts of germs, dirt, vomit, mucus, etc. Fishing in the toilet? That is just the name of the game.

Who hasn't dropped their phone in the toilet right? I definately have, and I consider myself a "germ-phob." Like Jess M said, if you didn't touch your eyes, mouth, or nose immediately after and before washing your hands, you're probablly just fine. Its just important to remember when washing your hands to do it long enough and with enough friction and in warm water. And, remember to get around your fingernails and on the sides and top of your hands too.

Many times I've gotten my phone wet and dried it out to use it again. And, use rubbing alcohol on it every once in a while since its bound to get germy being touched all the time, talked in, in purses, on desks, and in toddlers mouth. Good luck!

If you have a garbage disposal in your kitchen sink there is probably more bacteria in that than in your toilet. You should be fine. FYI, you already have a new phone, but I just learned last night that you can try putting white rice (not another kind of rice) in a cell phone that's been in water. It apparently dries it out by absorbing the moisture.

Gross out, totally! However, unless you put your hands directly in your mouth or nose afterwards before washing your hands, you are pretty safe. The good news is that you aren't sick yet, so the odds are going down dramatically. I think if you don't get sick by today, you are out of the woods, as most GI bugs are active by 72 hours, and they are usually active before that. Also, washing your hands decreases the number of organisms drastically, so it gives the body fewer to deal with. You probably have just strengthened your immunity by getting small enough dose to not be sick, but enough to develop antibodies to any germs going around the department. Almost like a vaccine. If you are extra concerned, up your intake of garlic and onions for a few days to strengthen your gut immunity. Take some vitamin C and a good multi-vitamin, maybe add some vitamin D in there too, and a probiotic wouldn't hurt. That is the best you can do. As to the phone, if you dry it out completely, including the battery compartment, before turning it on again, it will probably work just fine. You can clean it with some rubbing alcohol, or anti-bacterial wipes, and it will be good as new.
Best of luck!

Many, many people have gone fishing for items in the toilet. As long as you wash your hands afterwards you are fine.

Yes you are over-reacting. You have washed your hands etc. If you read up on urine you will actually find that it isn't as bad as you think it is. It is a nuetral body excrement. Your garbage is actually worse than it would ever be. Get your mind over it, throw away your phone and get a new one. Just forget this!!!! You will have things in your life that will be a lot worse if you let this bother you now!

I personally think you are over-reacting a ton. But maybe that is just me. Sure I pry wouldn't reach in the toliet either normally. But I might if I had an expensive phone. I've always read that if you take the battery out and dry it out it can be saved. I guess this happens alot and that is why I'd never talk on the phone in the bathroom and would leave my phone in my purse.

But you've washed your hands two times... which I would have done as well... Then I would have let it be. I can understand you are mortified you reached in a dirty toliet... But if after 48 hours and two hand washing you are feeling fine. I'd say your odds of anything at this point are beyond minimal.

So stop beating yourself up! Everything will be fine. :)

Yes, it is gross, but you're over-reacting! You're fine!

You are over reacting. Pee is seteril and the toilet was cleaned prior.Let it go!

The same thing happen to me at work a few months ago. I had to get a new phone only because of the age of my dunked one the volumne wouldn't come back (everthing else did), however you should be fine. I also washed up well (the water it fell in was clean still...) and never had any ill effects (except having to buy a new phone)from it at all.

Enjoy your new phone. I am.

You can take your phone apart and clean it really well with a spray that disinfects. Just let it air dry. As long as you don't get any of the electronics wet, the phone will probably work. It's been two days though, so it may be done for. If it ever gets wet again take it apart right away and dry it off. My phone has gotten wet a few times (not in the toilet, thankfully) and I've always been able to "revive" it. And, as long as you clean it, you don't have to worry about getting sick!

may sound crazy but the toilet is generally the cleanest part of an office. my mom work in a research lab and did cultures of the break room table, toilet seat, toilet handle, break room floor, and bathroom sink. the break room table had 7x the amount of germs as the toilet seat, handle and sink. if you washed your hands you are probably going to be fine :)

Yes over reacting, lol, but I would be the same way! It's just gross thinking about it, but you will probably be fine. Back in the really old days, urine was used for medicinal purposes, and we have all had to clean dog poo from our shoes- or cow, horse,pig if you are on the farm.
I totally understand the "never feeling as if you got clean enough" feeling.
AND, we are all mom's, I am sure we have all had poo accidents from time to time. Again, it's just the thought.

If the toilet had been previously flushed then it is cleaner than the surrounding surfaces. Your toothbrush, the floor, and the door handle probably have more ecoli on it than the toilet bowl. If it is going to cost you to replace your phone... don't (it was just in clean water!) put it in a bag of rice for 24 hours- the rice absorbs the water in the phone. I put my phone through a full cycle of washing... bag of rice and it was back to normal.

This may not be the most ummm, appropriate resource, but this should make you feel better:

http://www.cracked.com/article_17495_6-items-you-touch-ev...

I wouldn't worry. =0)

You didn't say if the toilet had been flushed before you dropped the phone in. If it was, then yes, I would say you are over reacting. Even if it wasn't flushed, while yes, reaching into a used toilet bowl is gross, as long as you washed your hands good afterwards, I wouldn't think you have anything to worry about.

I've dropped mine in the toilet and reached in and got it. I never got sick. You will be fine.

i know your planning on getting a new phone, but i hear if you get your phone wet you should put it in a bowl of rice and leave it there for a while. the rice is suppose to draw out all of the water in the phone. i haven't tried it, but i thought it sounded like a good idea-for future reference anyways! :)

No offense, but Yes, you are overreacting. Don't worry about it.

When my son was right around 1 he dropped my cell phone in our toilet. I grabbed it out right away but it was drenched. It took about at day to dry out and now it works great. It's been a year and a half and I'm still using it. I sanitized it as much as possible but I couldn't see spending a couple hundred bucks on a new phone when this one worked fine.

I agree with the others. You are over-reacting. Like another said, there are way more germs in other places that you touch all the time. If you washed up, that's all you can do!

L.:

You are fine, I am sure. In my profession I deal with fecies a lot (I'm a child care provider). You took more than the proper percaution after fishing out your phone. In most cases also, the handle on your bathroom stall door has more bacteria than the toilet does and that has never caused you "harm" with proper hand washing technique. Don't worry about anything except retreiving your lost cell phone info!