In this age of heightened safety awareness, sanitization protocols are on everyone’s minds. Whether you have a shared workspace at home or have to return to an office environment, regularly cleaning your workstation and devices should form part of your daily routines. For some, the idea of sharing any personal devices or office equipment causes valid feelings of anxiety.
It’s worth remembering that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, your office equipment, personal devices, and workstations were already germ-laden with many different pathogens. The average keyboard and mouse are home to hundreds of different bacteria per square inch. Let’s face it, it may just be the right time to start thinking about a UVC light sanitizer as a solution.
What is UVC Light Sanitizers?
We’ve already discussed the best ways to clean all your computer and IT equipment in this blog. While the advice is great, it’s labor-intensive and requires a dedicated regime to keep all devices (including your desk) clean. A UVC light can help take your sanitization routines to the next level, but let’s first look at how they work.
Light is characterized as energy distributed within a spectrum (or wave), defined scientifically as optical radiation. Light’s radiation comes in both visible and invisible spectrums. The lights above your desk have wavelengths between 500 and 600 nanometers (nm). With ultraviolet (UV), the wavelengths are invisible to the human eye as it operates between 100 and 400 nm.
The wavelengths for different ultraviolent lights are:
- UV – Only propagates in a vacuum between 100 to 200 nm
- UVC – Invisible but ideal for disinfection operating at 200 to 280 nm
- UVB – Used in medical applications ranging from 280 to 315 nm
- UVA – Also called near-UV, UVA is ideal for use in printing applications and curing using wavelengths of 315 to 400 nm
How Do UV Sanitizers Work?
In natural sunlight, UVC makes up only 3 to 4% of the entire spectrum but it’s filtered out by the earth’s atmosphere before reaching the earth. With UVC devices, it’s possible to rupture the DNA and RNA cell walls and inactivate double helix strands, disrupting the replication process of pathogens.
UVC lights (also called germicidal lamps) can kill up to 99.9% of most pathogens in air, water, and on nonporous surfaces.
Pathogens Living on Your Mobile Phone
Today, your mobile phone is one of the devices that carry the most germs with you wherever you go. Without regular sanitization, a smartphone can have thousands of pathogens per square inch. Even with antibacterial wipes and solvents, it is hard to get into all the crevices and gaps where these germs will continue to breed and spread on the device.
UV phone sanitizers have become popular with users and the market is projected to grow by 11.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from now until 2027. By far the most effective of these products are UVC light sanitizers. You can find products designed specifically for phones, helping kill many common workplace pathogens including those living in hard to reach places.
Introducing the UVStand™ Monitor Stand from Kensington
Sanitizing your phone regularly isn’t enough. You’ll want to ensure you sanitize every item you use every day, including your keyboard, mouse (or trackball), wallet, keys, mobile phone, tablet, and even your coffee mug. To make this easy, we developed the UVStand™ Monitor Stand as a multipurpose, safe, and secure UVC sanitization solution.
Space for All Your Peripherals and Devices
With a large compartment (20” x 11” x 3.5”), you’ll have space for all your PC equipment and other devices. You can also use the UVStand as a regular storage solution, helping you declutter your messy desk while keeping your workstation safe. The UVStand’s is an efficient, easy to use, and safe sanitization solution for all the devices you depend on to get your work done.
Safe to Use in Shared Office Spaces
You can start every day with safe to use, clean, and freshly sanitized devices when using the UVStand. The compartments’ UV LED bulbs remain fully contained and only work if the door is completely closed before using the push button to begin the UVC radiation sequence. It takes only ten minutes to run a sanitization cycle on all surfaces that have been directly exposed. No more wipes, chemicals, or liquids are required.
Tested on Certain Pathogens and Germs
The UVStand Monitor Stand kills up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses. To start the process, simply place the device in the compartment, close the door, and push the start button.
Doubles as an Ergonomic Monitor Stand
With other UVC sanitization solutions, you’ll probably have to make space on your desk and still likely only fit some of your smaller devices like phones or mice. Our UVStand doubles as an ergonomic monitor stand, helping save space and improve your monitor’s alignment to your body, ideally at eye level for the most neutral posture.
Kensington’s UVStand for a New Era in Device Safety and Cleanliness
Built to meet (and exceed) safety standards, the UVStand ushers in a new era in workstation safety and sanitization. UL Listed, and fully compliant with both IEC/EN 62471 and ANSI IESNA RP 27. When used as directed, you can rest assured that you’ve eliminated the majority of common workplace pathogens living on your devices. Additionally, the monitor stand will help promote a healthy posture when you’re sitting behind your desk and it doubles as a storage space when you aren’t using its UVC sanitizing lights.
When it comes to ensuring your safety while working in a shared office space, the best you can do is to ensure anything you touch regularly receives the necessary sanitization. The UVStand is the perfect accompaniment for your sanitization regimes – something you’ll need to continue to pay close attention to over the coming years.