Don’t put your phone in the TSA bin – do this instead

After years of traveling with a small arsenal of tech — usually a phone, iPad, laptop, and handheld game console — I like to think I’m pretty efficient when it comes to getting them out of my bag at TSA checkpoints. But it’s still a pain to hastily repack them while putting on my shoes, grabbing my belt, and just trying not to hold up the line of people behind me in the process.

Going through airport security can be a little stressful, and the last thing you’re probably thinking about is how to properly store your loose items in the plastic bins. But we should all be a little more careful about it, especially when it comes to our phones. On the one hand, throwing your phone in with all your other stuff is an easy way to lose track of it when you’re trying to rush to your next flight.

But there’s also another important factor to consider as to why we shouldn’t leave our phones, the one device we constantly touch and put in front of our face, unprotected. And it has to do with basic hygiene.

I’ve never worked as a TSA agent and I don’t know anyone who has, but I’m pretty sure the trash cans are rarely cleaned. I can understand why: When you think about the hundreds of thousands of people passing through U.S. airports daily and the TSA’s understaffing, it would take a lot of time and manpower to disinfect the trash cans and return them to security lines.

But you don’t have to be a germaphobe to realize how filthy these things can get. Tons of people touch them, they often have dirty shoes in them and you never know if someone is sick and places their infected gear in there too. Some studies even show that they can provide a refuge for viruses and bacteria. So if you want to avoid having last-minute travel companions, you need to make sure your phone is not in direct contact with the trash.

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Before arriving at the X-ray machine, you can put your phone in your carry-on bag or in a jacket pocket and place it in a trash can. The same advice applies to any other small items you need to remove for TSA, like wallets and keys. And of course, make sure to wash your hands or have hand sanitizer on hand when you’ve completed security checks.

Contamination is harder to avoid with larger electronics, because most TSA checkpoints still require you to take laptops, tablets, and handheld game consoles out of your bags and into a separate trash can (unless the line you’re in has a CT scanner that lets you leave everything inside). There’s not much you can do there, but at the very least they should all have their own case that protects them from the elements.