Discover PhoneSoap: the smart phone sanitizer

What is that one object we touch the most and carry everywhere? Not the purse, not even the same set of clothing. It’s the mobile phone in our fists. Here’s a not-so-smart fact about our phone: it’s dirty, in fact, dirtier than a public washroom. After all, washrooms are cleaned with appropriate liquids, but we don’t dip phone sin detergent, not even the waterproof ones.  

But this mess is about to get cleaned up, thanks to an interesting new discovery: a phone sanitizer.  

Just how dirty are our phones?  
Every bit of dust and dirt is transferred to our phones. From shopping cart handles to doorknobs to public toilet flush handles – all the dirt we accumulate – is transferred at least partially to our phone. Our mobile phones are like a third hand that we never wash – that’s disgusting – isn’t it?  

What is PhoneSoap?  
US star-up Shark Tank has launched a phone sanitizer called PhoneSoap, a discovery by two cousins Wes LaPorte and Dan Barnes. But how does it work without literally covering the phone in soap? PhoneSoap is a large case where the mobile has to be kept and the lid closed securely with the locking mechanism. A UV-C light gets activated on closing the lid and the germs literally get light-blasted. It is not yet known whether COVID 19 virus can also die this way, but the company warned that looking at or touching a beam of the light can be harmful.   

How does the UV light work in PhoneSoap? 
The UV light kills up to 99.99% of the bacteria living on an average mobile device. The makers did the usual lab tests against common household germs. The lid has to be opened 10 minutes later, the cleaned phone taken out, and the lid closed again for a few minutes to kill germs remaining inside the box.   

Has anyone tested PhoneSoap? 
Tests with PhoneSoap at the Harvard Medical School found that it eliminates germs, but COVID 19 virus may not die in the process. The Discovery Channel has also tested PhoneSoap and pronounced it better than normal alcohol based cleaning liquids we use to clean gadget surfaces.