UltraGuard’s aptly-named Capsule UV sanitizing tool is a miniature EDC powerhouse for multi-surface sanitation. The diminutive, pill-shaped tool comprises a UV light sanitizer that works in 10 seconds and a stylus for buttons and screens.
Smartphone sanitizers are now the norm in an awkward new reality that has humans sanitizing nearly everything we touch. The UltraGuard Capsule represents sustainability in the form of reducing waste from wipes and single-use plastic hand sanitizer bottles.
UltraGuard UV Smartphone Sanitizer Basics
About half as tall as a Bic lighter, the Capsule delivers 180 uses between charges (30 min. for full charge). A proprietary UV-C LED light chamber deploys light at the ideal 260-nm to 280-nm wavelength for dissolving nucleic acid and proteins. (Read: do not point it at yourself, others, pets, etc.: UV light is harmful!). The Capsule is certified by prominent worldwide research labs SGS and CE.
UltraGuard points out that users can carry its portable sanitizer anywhere to readily clean usual germ suspects like earbuds, personal hygiene items, etc. Users can also clean surfaces like keyboards and toilet seats by using the Capsule in “wand” mode. UltraGuard recommends 10 seconds for a full clean.
Remove the stylus or “no-contact tool” to reveal the UV-C light. In an ingenious touch, the stylus seats into the light socket, which sanitizes between uses. All in all, the device looks like one of the best smartphone sanitizers out there.
Method Analysis
The Capsule looks very effective at what it’s designed to do, and its certifying bodies are the world’s foremost test labs. However, should we sanitize the world (just because we can)? There is general scientific consensus that COVID-19 does not primarily spread through surfaces, which is corroborated by the CDC.
But sanitizing surfaces can be harmful, even outside the context of COVID-19. Household cleaners can release high amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sometimes as aerosols. As well, there’s the potential to kill beneficial microbes along with harmful ones. And single-use plastic packaging and wipes introduce considerable waste.
The UltraGuard Capsule mitigates the VOC problem, as well as the concerning waste issue.
Choices, Crowdfunding Status, Purchasing
Get the UltraGuard Capsule UV smartphone sanitizer in “glacier” white, “onyx” black, or “misty rose” pink. As of this writing, the project was 8x funded on Kickstarter with 12 days to go. Rewarded pledges were extremely limited and started at $29.
Sources:
- Still Disinfecting Surfaces? It Might Not Be Worth It – NPR
- Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility – CDC
- Coronavirus is Airborne So Stop Disinfecting Everything: Expert – CBC
