Sanitize Your World

Bacteria. Viruses. Spores. Germs. Microorganisms. They have all been in the news lately. And while not all of them can make you sick, many of them can. And as we’re out and about this holiday season, in contact with lots of people and places, I have three ways that tech can help you stay sanitary.

This is the Nightstick ultraviolet flashlight – less than $25 on Amazon. It uses an LED that people can’t see in the soft ultraviolet part of the spectrum called UV-A. It’s fun watching how currency or a driver’s license will glow. But it’s biologicals fluoresce they expose. So even surfaces you think are clean can look like the aurora borealis when you light it up with this little gizmo. Treadmills, bannisters, cooking appliances, restroom counters. Even check for bedbugs in hotel rooms. I guarantee. You use this thing a lot and – you’ll find yourself wanting to wash your hands more.

Or use this – No-Germs hand sanitizer – a dozen sprayers are $30 and each one lasts twice as long as those little square bottles because of a high-tech recipe. What’s even most significant is that these are alcohol-free so their effect doesn’t fade. Those square bottles sanitize when you first apply them and keep working for another 12 seconds. No-Germs keeps working for up to four hours.

Then there’s PhoneSoap – $65 on Amazon – a charger case with a hard-ultraviolet UV sanitizing light inside. You can plug it into a USB port inside to charge your phone, too. The sanitizing cycle runs just 5 minutes then shuts itself off; keep charging as long as you want. The company cites studies showing a mobile phone can have more germs than a toilet handle – not exactly what you want to rub against your face. You can also sanitize your earbuds or anything. By the way, this doesn’t fit the iPhone 6 Plus or the big Samsungs.