This is a sponsored post and I have been compensated However, all opinions are 100% mine. This winter has kicked my butt! I got the flu (didn’t get my flu shot), bronchitis and then pneumonia, all in five weeks. With all my running around, the kids being in school and not enough self-care, I was run down. This is when those germs that cause viruses like to attack. Moving forward, I am taking every precaution I can to keep myself and my family well.

I was reading some information from U.S. Cellular recently about how nasty our mobile devices can be! Do you clean your mobile devices? I don’t nearly as much as I should. According to University of Arizona microbiologist, Charles Gerba, the average smartphone has 10 times more bacteria on it than most toilet seats. Can you even?! So gross! I was also unaware that bacteria can hang around on a device and has the potential to make users ill. This is especially true when you are sharing that device with someone else that has recently been sick.

Well, guess what? My husband and I share an iPad. And guess what else? Yep! He was sick a few weeks before I got ill. Thank goodness I can look to a knowledgeable source like U.S. Cellular for tips on how to keep devices like the Galaxy Note 8 or my iPad or iPhone 8 from U.S. Cellular germ-free this cold and flu season. Here are some great tips on how to keep your mobile device germ free this cold and flu season:

Wash your hands. Studies show, I I learned this in nursing school, but apparently forgot,  that germs travel easily from hands to devices. Clean hands transmit fewer germs onto smartphones and other surfaces, so wash hands regularly and thoroughly.

Wipe before you swipe! You can use a disinfectant wipe that does not contain bleach. You need to wring the wipe out several times before using to minimize the moisture on and near the device. I prefer to use Gadget Guard Greener Cleaner, available at U.S. Cellular stores. This cleaner is made specifically for mobile devices and if U.S. Cellular sells it, I trust it! AAvoid using regular cloths or paper towels, but instead use a microfiber cloth.

Some of the most stubborn areas to clean are your device’s headphone jack, charging port, speaker and microphone openings. Please don’t use a toothpick or Q-tip
as they can damage the circuitry and/or leave behind cotton fibers. Instead, you can use an antibiotic putty designed specifically for electronics, like Cyber Clean, available at Amazon.com.

Please do not use your devices in the bathroom! In an Inc.com survey, 61 percent of people admitted to using their phone while in the restroom. The habit of “toilet texting” can cause users to become ill, as germs from the bathroom can wind up on the phone. Again. Gross! Also, do not use household cleaning fluids to clean your mobile device. These aren’t designed for touchscreens and can leave behind a film on your screens and can also degrade your touchscreen coating.

Do you clean your mobile devices regularly? If so, what do you use that does the trick?

Be sure to stay current with U.S. Cellular and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. This will be my last post as a U.S. Cellular Ambassador. I have thoroughly enjoyed these past three years as a member of the #bettermoments blogger team and wholeheartedly recommend them as your mobile network provider! One reader will win one $15 iTunes or Google Play Gift Card!