Everything You Should Know About Using a UV Lamp in the Kitchen

COVID-19 is all we can think and talk about these days. This 2020 pandemic has changed our way of life and has made us realize the importance of creating safe and germ-free living spaces.

The virus situation has brought with it the essential need to sterilize or disinfect every little thing around us. The kitchen is one of the most vulnerable spots in the home with all the groceries stored. Hence, sterilization in the kitchen is crucial. Again, you have to be extra cautious to avoid using chemicals. So, what should you do?

UV light for disinfection is one of the best ways to disinfect goods, groceries, surfaces, or other things in your kitchen. You can invest in a high-quality UV-C disinfection lamp and install it in your residential kitchen or commercial kitchen setting to keep it clean and free from potential hazards.

What are the Benefits of UV Light Sanitizing in the Kitchen?

There are several benefits of using UV light lamps in your kitchen. Let's get to know some here,

• UV-C disinfection lamps can be used to eliminate grease & smoke in the kitchen - it further eliminates the need for a long-cleaning.
• Unlike other disinfection methods, UV light can also prevent fuel fire hazard when the system is attached to the entrance of the hood.
• It is highly effective in the kitchen as it also prevents the secondary kitchen pollution caused by oil fumes.
• It can be installed to keep the kitchen space free from food smell and grease. The ozone created by The Apollo breaks down grease and purifies the air, thus improving your surroundings.
• You can't easily fit a UV disinfection system to your exhaust hood without replacing it.

Now that you know how an ultraviolet lamp can help you keep your kitchen safe, let us tell you how you can make a smart purchase of this innovative device.

Things to Consider Before Buying UV Light Disinfection Lamp

Lately, UV light has already gained a lot of attention and people can be seen purchasing whatever product they come across. However, you need to be educated about what you purchase and how to use the product effectively. Here’s all the information you should know before buying a UV light disinfection lamp -

• Make Sure You Purchase the Right Wavelength

All wavelengths of UV light are not the same. Having said that, there is only a particular wavelength meant for disinfection purposes. UV light is divided into three categories based on the wavelength value,

• UV-A
• UV-B
• UV-C

The research has shown that only UV-C wavelength is responsible for disinfection purposes - a perfect pick.  The UV-C wavelength can help protect you from many kinds of viruses and strains, including coronavirus, herpes, avian flu, and so forth. Several studies conducted on microbes with the other wavelengths revealed nothing. However, most of the UV backlights you see in the market emit UV-A wavelength. So, it has zero effect on your disinfection process (Ouch!)

The term ultraviolet is being used rampantly as a marketing gimmick to lure customers into buying. Don't fall for products claiming "effective for sterilization" or "effective against coronavirus".

• Beware of Human, Animal, and Material Safety Risks When Using UV-C

As we said, sanitizing your kitchen is crucial but it can also turn hazardous with improper technique.

UV-C wavelengths are the most potent wavelengths of UV light. To your facts, UV-C light is not even present in the natural sunlight as it is blocked by our earth's atmosphere. So, UV-C turns out to be an unnatural type of radiation which is much more powerful than the former ones.

You should know that the ignorant use of UV-C can cause you some problems. UV-C light is not safe for eyes and can also cause skin rashes. The good news is, modern-day UV-C lamps use special UV-C gasses to ensure safety - they switch off automatically if people get close to it and won’t turn on when you are in the room.

Overall, it’s wise to stay attentive while installing UV-C disinfection lamps.

Tip - If you have expensive paintings or artwork in your place of installation, we would recommend taking them out of the room to maintain their sleek appearance.

The best thing you can do is control radiation by considering " dosage". Do not use it for an extended time. Also, purchase a small intensity lamp.

• Acknowledge the Limitations of UV Lamp

UV lamps have not fallen from heaven. These are not magical devices that can immediately sanitize every nook and corner of your home. To ensure sanitization, the UV radiations should reach a particular surface with adequate strength. One of the biggest loopholes of UV radiation is its inability to reach areas in UV shadows. UV shadows are the areas where UV light cannot reach because of obstruction by other objects.

For instance, let's say that you wish to disinfect your laptop. Chances are you will carefully expose all sides of your laptop simultaneously. You will have to flip it overtimes to ensure all sides receive equal radiation.

Likewise, you cannot place the lamp in the center of your room and expect it to reach every nook and cranny. You will definitely reach A FEW surfaces but will you reach EVERY surface? No. Understand that these are a form of light that can not penetrate a lot of materials including plastic or glass.

• UV Disinfection is Not Perfect: Sterilization vs Disinfection

Sterilization and disinfection are used interchangeably but these are both different technical terms.

Sterilization refers to the complete removal of any pathogen. On the other hand, disinfection involved the reduction of pathogens to a degree where they are extremely unlikely to produce any infection. You may have noticed several disinfection products advertising 99.999% effectiveness which means that they may miss out on the 0.001% pathogens.

Similarly, you need to understand that UV lamps are not capable of sterilization but these are excellent disinfectants. UV light can reduce the number of pathogens in an area given if it is being used correctly. If you wish to greatly reduce your risk of infection, you may need to use multiple lines of defense than only relying on one method.

For instance, you can wipe your laptop with a disinfectant wipe first, and use UV rays to further disinfect the areas your wipe may have missed. Again, even if you use everything along with UV light you can not expect the material to be sterilized because sterilization is altogether different.

Are you looking for excellent UV light disinfection solutions? We are here to guide you with our expertise. Our products at Smart UV are created with extreme care and perfection to help you stay safe and healthy. You can know more about us here.