--- title: How to Clean Your Filthy Cell Phone: This Week in Health description: Here's the right way to clean your cell phone screen and avoid some of the grossest germs—plus the biggest stories in health this week. canonical: https://time.com/4913952/clean-your-cell-phone-health-news/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-25T13:14:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:58:32.913Z article:section: Health og:title: How to Clean Your Filthy Cell Phone: This Week in Health og:description: Here's the health news you need to know this week. og:url: https://time.com/4913952/clean-your-cell-phone-health-news/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt540a9d70bce23cb4/698778915f570f19fcb148f1/iphone-social-apps-tinder.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Social Apps iPhone Tinder og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Clean Your Filthy Cell Phone: This Week in Health twitter:description: Here's the health news you need to know this week. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt540a9d70bce23cb4/698778915f570f19fcb148f1/iphone-social-apps-tinder.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Clean Your Filthy Cell Phone: This Week in Health > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=0e081e0d-52ca-45bc-9fc9-e1bdb3262f02&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Weekdays | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Written by TIME's health desk | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Health conscious and health connected. A broad health-conscious audience with a credible institutional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### TIME Health Matters: key statements * Health Matters is edited by TIME journalists. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=0e081e0d-52ca-45bc-9fc9-e1bdb3262f02&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 25, 2017 1:14 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 25, 2017 1:14 PM UTC Your cell phone picks up bacteria everywhere it goes. (Touching it 47 times a day, the national average, doesn’t help.) Not to worry, though: [doing this](http://new.time.com/4908654/cell-phone-bacteria/) just a few times a month will likely protect you. Here’s the other health news you need to know this week. Sign up for the [TIME Health newsletter](http://time.com/newsletter-health) for more. ## [Your cell phone is 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat ](http://time.com/4908654/cell-phone-bacteria/) Here’s the right way to clean your screen and avoid some of the grossest germs. ## [Why pigs might be even better organ donors than humans](http://time.com/4910657/why-people-may-have-pig-organs-inside-them-one-day/)  Four newborn pink piglets. Getty Images Scientists have created virus-free piglets that could one day provide organs for human transplants. One of the scientists behind the research, geneticist George Church, says he believes pig organs could one day be engineered to be even healthier and more durable than organs from humans. ## [What’s the best non-pasta pasta?](http://time.com/4906359/healthy-pasta-noodles/) There are all kinds of ways now to eat non-flour pasta. Here are the perks of zucchini noodles, lentil pasta and chickpea spaghetti. ## [How a short meditation can help people drink less](http://time.com/4912780/mindfulness-meditation-drinking/)  Molly Cranna for TIME A mere 11 minutes of mindfulness training, given just one time, may help heavy drinkers cut back on alcohol, found a new study. Though mindfulness-based treatments usually involve many hours of practice, the new report suggests that even a quick mindful session may be powerful. ## [You asked: Are airport body scanners safe?](http://time.com/4909615/airport-body-scanners-safe/) The type of body scanner at U.S. airports—called a millimeter-wave scanner—doesn’t pose much of a cancer risk, health experts say. ## [Is hydrogen water good for you?](http://time.com/4907106/hydrogen-water-health-benefits/)  Twelve glasses of water Getty Images Water is one of the healthiest beverages you can drink, since it’s free of sugar, salt and chemicals that can harm cells. That hasn’t stopped companies from trying to improve on the health benefits of H2O. But does adding extra hydrogen to bottled water make a difference? ## [Why the Zika virus is especially dangerous for pregnant women](http://time.com/4908546/zika-pregnant-women-immune-system/)  Getty Images; Illustration by Marisa Gertz for TIME A new study looks at how the Zika virus tricks the immune systems of pregnant women. Since expectant mothers are already more vulnerable to infections, the report underlines the importance of keeping them protected. ## [Why do your ears pop on airplanes?](http://time.com/4901296/why-do-your-ears-pop-on-airplanes/) It’s perfectly normal, but can be uncomfortable. 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