DISINFECTION THROUGH UV-C

CEBU - Even before the current health crisis came upon us, I have seen many of my mommy friends using what looked like small light-up ovens to sterilize baby bottles and pacifiers. These devices use UV-C light to sterilize items by killing the DNA of harmful microbes and pathogens. There is still a lot of research being conducted on how effective these are, but many legitimate scientific sources online write that UV-C has been proven 99.9 percent effective to prevent the spread of germs. It’s also environmentally friendly since it only utilizes UV-C light and does not require chemicals or other cleaning materials.

There are now various options for UV-C devices, including handheld UV-C wands that make it easy to work across various surfaces. You can use these, for example, to sterilize groceries as soon as you get home, or to clean anything like keyboards, mobile phones, and even furniture and bedding. Here’s how to use UV-C safely at home:

• Ensure that UV-C light does not shine directly into your eyes or on skin.

• For optimum results, hold the device one to two inches above the surface for at least 30 seconds. Don’t just sweep over the area being cleaned.

• UV-C light should supplement and not replace your usual cleaning practices. Go ahead and disinfect surfaces with soap and water, alcohol, or Lysol as usual, and leave UV-C as a finishing measure to kill off as many stubborn microbes as possible.