New Product: The OttLite Disinfecting Phone Case
by Diana L. Martin
With the pandemic still ruling our lives and creating havoc, we’re still cleaning like crazy. Multipurpose cleaners and disinfectants are slowly coming back into stock in retail stores but favorite brands like Lysol and Clorox are, for the most part, still nowhere to be found.
We are inundated with conflicting information - masks work, masks don’t work, cleaning surfaces helps to prevent spread, cleaning surfaces does no good - it seems that every day is different. I tend to err on the side of caution, and keeping things clean just makes sense to me.
Electronics require special care and there are a variety of disinfecting phone cases on the market now to assist with that effort. For 2021, we’ve added two models of UVC disinfecting phone cases to our product lineup. They’re made by OttLite - a well known company in the lighting industry. According to OttLite, there are over 25,000 germs per square inch on a mobile phone and the average person picks up their phone 80 times each day.
I’m going to focus on the model on the left above - OTT UV024WXM. This is a nice unit, designed to hold most cell phones - even the larger ones. The interior compartment is about seven inches long and three and a half inches wide. It has two cycles - a quick 10 minute disinfect and a 30 minute deep clean. They state that it kills up to 99% of viruses and bacteria. An auto UVC shutoff feature protects your eyes and skin when the cover is opened.
This unit also offers wireless charging on the lid and a nightlight on the base. An interesting feature of this case is the built-in essential oil diffuser for use during the cleaning cycle. I’m really not sure why I need essential oil aromatherapy for my cell phone, but it’s included. (Maybe just to relax me while I’m working.)
You can disinfect other items aside from your phone with this device. Anything that will fit inside - keys, glasses, masks, etc. It’s very simple - basically just plug it in, put your items in and choose the length of the cycle. FDC.gov cautions that UVC disinfection is only effective if the virus is directly exposed - meaning that the item you want to disinfect must be clean when you put it in the case. Soil, such as dust, blocks the UVC and prevents disinfection.
The one thing I really didn’t like about the product is that the end of cycle beep is way, way too soft. I had it positioned literally just a few feet away from me and put it on a 10-minute cycle and didn’t hear it beep. I started a second cycle and didn’t hear that one either. The third time I watched the clock and was staring at it when it beeped and could barely hear it then. If I’m on a schedule and trying to do a disinfect before I leave, I want to be able to hear it so I remember to take the things out and take them with me.
The OttLite Disinfecting Phone Case is reasonably priced and has a two year limited parts and labor warranty. You can see some other UVC disinfecting items in our selection here.
