What is the best phone sanitizer? The device should be large enough to hold your phone. Enclosed models are safe and, unlike wand-type ones, do not pose risks associated with exposure to UV-C radiation. The cleaning time should be enough to kill all the bacteria on the item, given that some bacteria a very resistant to UV light. Five minutes will be enough for a solid lump to sanitize your device. We believe that PhoneSoap 3 UV Cell Phone Sanitizer fits all these criteria best.

If you need to sanitize more oversized household items like tablets or BiPAP/CPAP masks, then the Philips Disinfection Box is the best choice.

Phone Sanitizer vs. Disinfection Box

PhoneSoap has two new products: the Pro version of PhoneSoap 3, and Philips has a large-sized, high-capacity sanitizing home box that disinfects not only smartphones but also tablets and a variety of household items. Let’s see what makes these products different from the standard Phone sanitizer.

  • The enhanced PhoneSoap Pro is much more powerful as it has twice the bulbs. It is the first consumer device to have a vacuum-plated aluminum inner shell for better reflectivity.
  • It is longer in size. This means that the sanitizer can fit the largest smartphones and a wider range of household items.
  • The Pro model works twice as fast, killing almost 100% of harmful bacteria in about 5 minutes.
  • PhoneSoap Pro has a different color range and comes in mint, blue, lavender, charcoal, blue, and white.

  • The Philips UV-C Disinfection Box is 28 x 28 x 28 cm and can be used to sanitize more oversized household items like baby bottles, tablets, BiPAP/CPAP masks, gadgets, remotes, headphones, toys, and more.
  • It features large and powerful UV-C lights.
  • It takes about 10 minutes for the device to disinfect the items.

Best UV Sanitizers Compared

1. PhoneSoap 3 UV Smartphone Sanitizer & Universal Charger

This clinically proven UV light disinfector is the first UV-C sanitizer and charger. It has two bulbs that thoroughly sanitize a phone, killing almost all bacteria and germs. It accommodates and charges all types of smartphones.

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2. PhoneSoap Pro UV Smartphone Sanitizer & Universal Charger

This new and more advanced PhoneSoap model features more UV-C bulbs and sanitizes phones much faster. It has automatic and manual modes of sanitizing, USB and USB-C ports for charging, and is more prominent in size.

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3. Philips UV Disinfection Box

With a size of ‎28 x 28 x 28 cm, this sanitizer provides 360-degree disinfection of any household item. This stainless steel device features large light bulbs, a reflective interior, and a transparent quartz plate. The product comes in black and white colors.

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Trusted Brands

The world is so much frightened by recent developments that other large brands have picked up this theme. And other manufacturers are now stepping on the toes of the fashionable and hipster PhoneSoap, which invented the first smartphone sanitizer in 2016. Homedics, a manufacturer of health & wellness products, was the first to engage in the trend. But now, even the giants Samsung and Philips could not resist releasing their own sanitizer. So what is the difference between them, given that it is hard to invent something new in disinfection technology? All right, now, let’s compare.

 

Anyway, the upshot is that if you want to be trendy, buy the stylish PhoneSoap Pro. If you need to sanitize not just your phone but also kid’s accessories on the go, the Homedics bag is the most convenient option. But if you sanitize large gadgets like a tablet, get back to Philips, as only this brand has such a big device.

Types & Sizes

Phone sanitizers can be of two types: 1. enclosed boxes where your phone can be placed, and 2. portable disinfection wands.

When it comes to phones, sanitizer boxes & travel bags are more efficient than wands. UV light effectiveness depends on two factors: distance and strength. The phone sanitizers are made with two or four UV-C germicidal LEDs that surround the device.

A larger multibag can be used to sterilize baby bottles, keys, jewelry, face masks, intimate clothing, and whatever else you need. This item is portable due to its foldable design, making it an ideal traveling choice.

In a high-capacity sanitizing home box like Philips, you can disinfect all your gadgets & devices, from tablets and headphones to children’s toys and pacifiers. It provides 360° disinfection in 10 minutes.

Portable UV wand vs. box sanitizer. When using a UV light wand, you must be sure you are within the proper distance, whereas a sanitizer box ensures the minimum distance between the LEDs and the object. Moreover, 360° sanitizing your phone in an enclosed space helps to achieve better results. The disinfection wand requires participation as you must hold it in your hand and move it around the object. The wand is, therefore, less convenient but more versatile because it allows you to sanitize objects of any size, not just your phone.

Actually, it would be a wise choice to sanitize not only your cell phone but the entire house or office. No, you will not need to call professionals or clean every corner of the room daily.

There is a more cost-effective and simpler option — using an ultraviolet lamp like the Uv Germicidal Light 36 Watt Ultraviolet Lamp. While being portable, this device is highly effective and can disinfect up to 40 square meters of the surface at a time. It features a powerful yet energy-efficient 36 Watt UVC Quartz lamp and has two modes: with and without ozone. The lamp is safe to use and comes with a 30s delay timing feature. The manufacturer recommends this product for sanitizing homes, offices, hospitals, schools, and restaurants.

Busting Myths About Sanitizers and Choosing the Best Phone Sanitizer

Phone sanitizer manufacturers claim that our smartphones’ surfaces are infested with bacteria. They are like a Petri dish, a hotbed for germs and viruses! Are those claims true and what should be done about them? Will the wet wipes be helpful, or should you delegate the job of cleaning to modern technologies? In this review, we will cover the types of cell phone sanitizers available on the modern market, rank their effectiveness, and pick the top five gadgets.

We’ll reveal the whole truth about such famous manufacturers as Phonesoap, the brand that compares the dirtiness of cell phones to that of the rim of the toilet bowl. We’ll get down to the tiniest detail and investigate whether their devices are as effective as promoted. Let’s get started!

What You Will Learn from This Guide:

Scientific Opinion on the Necessity of a Phone Sanitizer

Nowadays, neither kids or adults ever let go of their cell phones. We use this gadget anywhere and everywhere: in a park, in transit, in hospitals, in the bathroom or in a cafe. While we tend to wash our hands regularly, the same is not true for washing our phones. You can’t wash it, and it’s not quite obvious how to clean it. That’s how the entire germ army migrates to your phone screen from your dirty hands and then, once you bring the phone close to your ear, they get transferred to your face. The gadget's warm and slightly humid surface is favorable for increasing the germ population.

Why is this is so perilous even though myriads of bacteria are everywhere? The thing is that our body becomes vulnerable to viruses once they get inside our body through our nose, mouth or eyes. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services warns that there is a high chance of catching flu if you touch your face with dirty hands. The cleaner your hands are, the less chance you have of getting your respiratory organs infected or becoming sick with diarrhea. Since such dangerous causative agents as Staphylococcus aureus can inhabit your phone’s surface, the researchers even recommend that doctors restrict the use of cell phones in medical institutions. Phones should be cleaned, so they don’t become a source of pathogenic bacteria.

How Does a Cell Phone Sanitizer Work?

Most sanitizers use ultraviolet to combat germs. A UV phone cleaner starts working either automatically or after you press a button that sets off disinfection. A small UV lamp inside the device affects and destroys the bacteria’s DNA. The lamp turns off 5-6 minutes later, and you can remove your phone from the device. Some products charge the phone simultaneously with UV treatment. It’s crucial to follow the user’s guide when it comes to sanitizing devices as they emit special radiation (the wavelength is 253 nm) that cannot be used to dry nail polish or to tan as they will cause a burn!

UV lamps of various power are used to clean water and have proven their effectiveness at the industrial level. However, it is much harder to attest to the quality of portable sanitizers. In general, ultraviolet is supposed to kill germs, but does a particular gadget work properly or is the invisible cleaning a simple illusion?

Journalists have attempted to answer this question multiple times. The FOX Carolina team, for instance, has conducted an experiment in St Francis' Hospital when the doctors treated various objects with a UV sanitizer and then compared the contamination levels before and after cleaning with the help of a special luminometer. It turned out that the sanitizing wand is not at all almighty as it only reduced the level of cell phone bacteria from 432 to 400. Antiseptic wipes, on the other hand, reduced this number to 4. Pat Kopp, a lab employee, explained that mechanical cleaning is required before using a sanitizer that will remove the remaining germs. Despite its disinfecting properties, ultraviolet is only a supplement.

Another experiment conducted by Dr. Jay Comeaux of McNeese State University located in Lake Charles proved the effectiveness of the Portable Sanitizing Wand against three types of pathogenic bacteria. However, it turned out that the sanitizer must be held as close as possible to an object to be cleaned for at least ten seconds for best results. Moreover, the treated surface must be completely flat as any niches, buttons or ports affect the disinfection quality.

What conclusions come to mind after this? Undoubtedly, a Portable Sanitizing Wand is only suitable for patient users. If you don’t want to hold your device for a while, opt for a closed sterilizer that will automatically sanitize your phone and turn it off afterward. Make sure you’re buying an actual UV lamp and not just a blue bulb. A meager price will signify the latter.

Some manufacturers are cunning enough to sell ozonators as UV phone sanitizers. The blue lamp inside these devices simply mimics UV radiation. Just like real UV sanitizers, the treatment is about five minutes long and lasts while the lamp is on. However, it is ozone and not ultraviolet that does the cleaning job. What’s so bad about it? Well, highly concentrated ozone is extremely poisonous, and low concentrated substance is useless against bacteria and viruses. The United States Environmental Protection Agency warns: “Some data suggest that low levels of ozone may reduce airborne concentrations and inhibit the growth of some biological organisms while ozone is present, but ozone concentrations would have to be 5 - 10 times higher than public health standards allow before the ozone could decontaminate the air sufficiently to prevent survival and regeneration of the organisms once the ozone is removed” (Dyas, et al.,1983; Foarde et al., 1997).

In fact, the EPA warns us not to use ozone-generating devices as their effectiveness and safety cannot be guaranteed. This toxic gas is harmful for eyes, skin and respiratory organs. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires ozone output of indoor medical devices to be no more than 0.05 ppm. It is unknown whether all brands comply with this requirement, so if you are looking for a cheap way to clean your phone, you’d better use a wet wipe rather than an ozonator.

Тhe Top Five Phone Sanitizers From £23 To £60

There are two main types of UV phone cleaners: closed gadgets with a lid and portable sanitizing wands. There are also ozonators, i.e. devices that use ozone to remove bacteria. In this article, we will review all these sanitizer types starting from the most popular and expensive device.

1. PhoneSoap 3 UV Smartphone Sanitizer & Universal Charger

This Salt Lake City brand is the most famous manufacturer reviewed. PhoneSoap’s story began in 2016 when it first appeared on Shark Tank. Lori Greiner gave a green light to this start-up and invested £100,000 in it. As a result, the business is still up and running in today’s market.

One thing PhoneSoap is definitely good at is marketing. You can’t help but be frightened when you hear their slogan stating that a cell phone’s surface contains 18x as many bacteria as a public washroom. This can be argued, but not forgotten! Don’t you immediately want to clean your phone with wipes, at least? Another slogan of this brand, “Be healthy with PhoneSoap” also beats the bull’s eye. We understand that this is not an entertaining but a useful gadget that is as irreplaceable as antibacterial soap.

Is there any proof of its effectiveness, though? The official website of the brand mentions “lab test results” but cites no reference to any research. An expert wearing white scrubs can be seen in the presentation (which is staggering; it even compares sole shoe smears to a cell phone screen), but neither his name nor the name of his lab is mentioned. Who knows, this may be a breakthrough scientist from Salt Lake City, or it might as well be an actor. PhoneSoap brags of mentions in Forbes or CNN, but all these mentions resort to short articles about the venture’s success in Shark Tank. All cell phone sanitizer manufacturers claim to kill 99% of germs and give the same arguments for using their products.

Let’s get back to the PhoneSoap review. Its design is its unique selling point. Its exterior is pleasant and usable and resembles a smartphone case (specially targeted at iPhones). Its design is very straightforward: a UV lamp and a charging port are inside. The latest version also features a port for a second device. After you’ve put your phone in the case and cleaned it for 5-6 minutes, you can charge the battery or use the gadget as a portable power bank. Any other objects of suitable size (credit cards, keys, or smartwatches) can also be sanitized inside the device. As for the model range, there are XL sanitizers for tablets, two smartphone cleaners (different in size and color), and a wireless PhoneSoap. We are most interested in the classic PhoneSoap: a 6.8x3.74x0.78-inch case weighing two pounds.

Let us note that although this is the most expensive sanitizer covered, it’s not a very durable item. Customers complain that the lamps are not removable, which means that if a lamp breaks down, you’ll have to replace the entire device.

What do buyers say? 

«EASY! I truly liked the simplicity of operation; you turn your phone in, shut the top, and immediately sterilize the phone with ultraviolet light in 10 mins (though I did not time it). Once the light heads out, your phone is sterilized as well as all set to go. You can even bill your phone while it's being cleansed!! I additionally such as the sanitizer's design; it advises me of the sleek appearance of Apple items. I wish it was a little smaller, but I understand they needed to make the "bay" huge sufficient for phones of all sizes-- in this way, I won't need to purchase a new sanitizer if I get a larger phone».

Finally, we have some good news. This is a known American brand rather than a no-name. The manufacturers have an exciting blog (which provides statistics on how often users drop their phone in a toilet or other trivia), answer consumers’ questions and even do charity work. This gives a competitive edge to PhoneSoap, as this must be the phone sanitizer brand with the best communication. Naturally, this improves its level of trustworthiness.

PhoneSoap 3:  Check the current price

2. Philips UV-C Disinfection Box | Best Value

Here is the most trusted manufacturer with its closed UV sanitizer that does not promise to clean everything around with its magic light but has 35 proven years of expertise and experience. Philips UV-C lights can effectively inactivate viruses, bacteria, and spores.

Disinfection takes ten minutes and seems more reliable than the two or three-second sanitizing offered by other brands. Philips also produces UV-C Disinfection desk lamps and mini disinfection boxes for traveling. While you look like a maniac when using a Sanitizing Wand in public, this small box won’t give you away as it looks like a regular box. You can put your phone in it without paying extra attention. 

Philips UV-C Disinfection Box: Check the current price

3. Verilux CleanWave Portable Sanitizing Travel Wand

Verilux sanitizer has been known since it was featured in The New York Times review in 2011. It successfully passed all the tests which were conducted on kitchen utensils instead of smartphones. Charles Gerba (an environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona), an expert invited by the New York Times, claimed that cutting boards require more disinfection than cell phones.

According to him, UV sanitizers are quite effective on flat non-porous surfaces (such as cutting boards). However, Farhad Manjoo, a journalist, found a defect in the gadget: the lamp only works when it’s inclined down, and it shuts off automatically if you put it up or sideways. This is caused by a built-in protection system that blocks the lamp when its position is anything but horizontal. For that reason, it is impossible to disinfect armchair rests or door handles, although the manufacturer promotes this kind of use.

Judging by the reviews, the gadget’s design has not undergone any changes ever since this review was published seven years ago. The lamp still shuts off when you turn it even slightly, but this might be for the best: there is no chance you could ever burn yourself. Verilux, in general, cares about customers’ health. For instance, this brand has been manufacturing light therapy equipment since 1956.

Verilux CleanWave: Check the current price

4. UV Light Magic Wand

Judging by the description, this device enhances everything it touches, just like a magic wand. It is even capable of sanitizing objects 8 inches away! It is light enough for your hand not to get tired. Having enough patience to hold it is another matter. The manufacturer assures that three seconds will be enough, but all stationary devices take at least 5-10 minutes to sanitize a phone. Does this magic wand indeed kill germs faster? Unfortunately, you’ll never be able to find out in domestic use without conducting special tests.

Nevertheless, it has conducted lab research confirming the effectiveness of even one-second-long disinfection. Its UV wavelength is 253 nm, which is standard for bactericidal lamps. One of their advantages is that they do not emit ozone.

It’s important that the device is equipped with a hold button that will be handy if a child plays with the wand. Moreover, the automatic lamp will turn off if pointed upwards. However, there is too little customer feedback to judge its protection quality. Open UV lamps are potentially more dangerous than closed ones.

But such a portable wand might help disinfect school essentials like bags, uniforms, shoes, books, and sports equipment, as well as door handles, toilet lids & seats, cups, steering wheels, and other things in public places.

 Excerpts from buyers’ reviews 

«You can utilize this sanitizer in numerous methods. I use it for my phone, keyboard, trackball, and tablets. You can easily utilize this for your shoes, doorknobs, and so on. Before purchasing this I had a Phonesoap as well as it just worked for my phone and also maybe a couple of various other small items you might fit within. Likewise, among my previous Phonesoaps was supplied with a busted leading bulb ... the other one stopped working. Then I stumbled onto this stick as well, as it has actually been great. You require to aim it downward for the light to come/stay on. This is a safety and security attribute, so I have no issues. Also, I like how you do not need the device pointed straight down for the light to function - you can have some angle to it, which is good for sanitizing certain things. The cable it features is a decent size, yet you may require to use a longer cord (USB to mini USB) depending upon where your source of power is in connection to what you're sterilizing. Or you can not stress over the cable in any way as well as utilize it with batteries. I will likely bring this with me on trips, in addition to using it in your home».

Even though the manufacturer recommends sanitizing everything from your phone to shoe insoles, you should be careful when using this gadget. UV waves are effective against germs but are dangerous for the eyes and skin.

Magic Wand: Check the current price

5. LEDMEI Cell Phone Sterilizer Cleaner with USB Charger | Ozone Sterilizer

LEDMEI offers all kinds of lamps. The company’s model range includes salt night lights, UV diodes for house plants and fire-like lamps. This phone sanitizer is not a UV lamp, though, but an ozonator.

You might be confused with the gadget’s design as it works just like any other UV sanitizer: you need to plug it in and press the button. The lamp will turn off automatically after six minutes once the disinfection is over. The official description claims that the device kills 99% of bacteria, but it gives no details on how the actual sanitizing is performed. Additional effort is required to find this out. One of the users asked: “How does this sterilize and sanitize my phone? There's no mention of UV o a light” Here is LEDMEI’s reply: “Hello, you must connect the power supply. Connect the power, press the O3 Sanitizer button. When the blue light is on, the sanitizer is working. The sterilizer will release ozone to disinfect your phone.”

The manufacturer claims that your phone will be almost sterile when you remove it from the device six minutes later. Is the ozone concentration sufficient for such results? The sterilizer claims to generate 3 mg of ozone per hour. It looks like a particular study is required to calculate the concentration of this gas in a 6.3 x 3.2 inch flask for six minutes of action. Otherwise, it is difficult to assess its effectiveness. The manufacturer has received a positive review from a Chinese microbiology center, and it is up to you to decide whether it is a reliable document.

LEDMEI: Check the current price

10 Best-Selling Phone Sanitizers in the UK Comparative Table

Best Trusted | Best Value

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Cell Phone Sanitizer FAQ

How do I know whether a sanitizer kills bacteria?
You can’t check it without lab tests. A pro luminometer used to assess the level of contamination is much more expensive than a sanitizer. That’s why you should find a decent brand, trust its own research and follow the user’s guide.

Are ozone level detection strips capable of proving the effectiveness of a UV sanitizer?
Ultraviolet generates ozone, that’s why some users try to measure its concentration and thus, find out whether a UV lamp is effective. Special strips are available on to detect ozone concentration over 90 micrograms per meter cube (0.0451 ppm). Sanitizing lamps are way below these figures.

Is it better to wipe your phone with alcohol or buy a sanitizer?
That is up to you. In any case, even if you invest in a sanitizer, you will have to use wipes regularly because mechanical cleaning cannot be completely replaced by a gadget.

Are UV waves harmful for your phone’s screen
They are not. Many customers are worried about this when it comes to buying a closed UV phone sanitizer. So far, no such cases have been registered.

Samsung was the last to join the trend, taking into account all the technologies, optimized the production process, and made a “just white” customer device, which can be safely called the best budget sanitizer under £50.

About author: Wiki is the full-time author of Gadgets|Reviews and a walking encyclopedia. She has long worked as a marketer for large and renowned brands, so she knows all the tricks used to deceive and convince clients to buy useless goods. She is cynical, doesn’t take anyone’s word and is ruthless to those whose ads are misleading. She is fierce but impersonal. Should you be a decent and conscientious manufacturer, she will recommend your products to millions of our readers. Each review of useful gadgets that she composes is preceded by a full-scale investigation engaging scientists, proven facts and research. She will explain in detail whether you should trust innovations, how to use them properly, whether they are effective, and what results are expected.

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