Public restrooms get a bad reputation for dirty surfaces, but you might be carrying something with you every day that has even more bacteria.

Students in the Dakota College at Bottineau nursing program are sharing their research project on infections and cell phones. They swabbed surfaces like toilet seats and doorknobs to test them for bacteria and found that mobile phones have 18 times more bacteria than in a public restroom. The phones pick up the bacteria every time they are set on a dirty surface and transfer from our fingers every time we swipe the screen. But keeping them clean can be simple.

“Alcohol swabs are really good to clean your cell phone and, like, washing your hands is the biggest infection prevention thing that we can do,” says Alexandra Kasa, Nursing Student at Dakota College at Bottineau.

They recommend disinfecting your phone about as often as you would wipe down your dinner table.