Philips UV-C housing promises radical cleaning for small everyday items

It couldn’t have been a better time for Philips. In the midst of the rebound from the Covid-19 epidemic, the manufacturer is launching its mini disinfection box through its lighting branch (named Signify). Its promise: the pure and simple eradication of all germs present on small objects. 20 Minutes tested it.

Against germ nests

A UV-C box for what? Even if we respect barrier gestures and take care to wash our hands regularly… the small objects that we use daily (and that we don’t necessarily clean) can be real germ nests. The mini-box launched by Philips makes it possible to disinfect them. Glasses, keys, jewelry, not to mention our inseparable smartphones that we constantly manipulate easily find their place there.

With a capacity of one liter (23.4 x 10.5 x 15.5 cm for 360 grams), all you have to do is open the lid, place the objects you want to disinfect in it, lock it in, then press the button on the front. This flashes blue for 8 minutes. This is the time needed for UV-C to do its job.

From smartphones to remote controls

The box incorporates four UV-C LED bulbs which, when switched on, render the DNA of microorganisms harmless… to 99.9%! The process is renowned for disinfecting surfaces, air and even water. Its germicidal power on SARS-Cov-2 (or Covid-19) is recognized.

For our tests, we placed the box on our desk and plugged it into USB-C on our computer. From day to day, the reflex to use it several times daily has become essential. In particular, we used it after each outing, to clean our mask, our car keys, eyeglasses and smartphone. Before our TV evenings, we didn’t hesitate to house the remote controls for our TV and Internet box in it, manipulated as best as possible by the whole household.

A promise invisible to the eye

Frustration: the box being opaque, we do not see the light act (UV-C are dangerous for the sight). And when we take out our objects once the flashing blue light on the front has gone out, they obviously haven’t changed in appearance. The promise of the Philips device is therefore invisible… but it is reassuring, however.

Sold 54 euros (but it is already around 40 euros), the small UV-C box from Philips is not the first in its category. We had already tested the Mundus Pro from Einova.

The Philips model has the advantage of a fairly reasonable price and a capacity that allows it to process several small objects at the same time. Other boxes, such as the Bioclean box (sold for 79 euros) claim to go further in sterilization by combining UV-C lamps with heating at 60°C for 40 minutes. This would be particularly suitable for all types of masks, in particular to remove bad odors.