A new Smart lightbulb in the market has an intriguing feature. The Lifx Clean is a fully functional, color-changing lightbulb that claims it can disinfect surfaces and the air around it.
The product was first announced in August 2020, and it costs around $69.99, the Lifx Clean is now available to be shipped to customers in the United States, and the company is planning for wider availability this year.
Lifx Clean Smart lightbulb
Lifx has numerous scientific studies, and it also has its own lab tests to support its claim that it is the "first antibacterial germicidal smart light" in the world. But can it work in the average home?
The company announced the lightbulb in 2020, a year in which people were encouraged to keep their surroundings clean. David McLauchlan, the CEO of Lifx, said that the company started having early discussions about creating a product like the Lifx Clean in March 2020, which was the same month that COVID-19 started spreading around the world.
At the time, alcohol companies were making hand sanitizers, and clothing companies were making facial masks, and McLauchlan stated that their team wanted to make lights equipped with the technology to disinfect, according to The Verge.
McLauchlan's technology is a specific kind of blue light with a wavelength of 405nm. The HEV or high-energy visible light has been shown across numerous studies to inactivate or kill a range of bacteria including E. coli, salmonella, and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA in lab-based studies.
Lifx Clean technology
The Lifx Clean incorporated the technology used in hospitals. Studies show that the blue lights reduced the number of bacteria on surfaces in hospital units.
The Lifx Clean also uses an array of eight 405nm LED lights, which is the same as the standard red, green, and blue diodes that you find in the company's other bulbs. The array also has a typical diffuser placed over it, which means it looks identical to a standard Lifx bulb.
The blue light is different from another light-cleaning technology that has become very popular during the height of the pandemic: UV light.
In comparison, the HEV light that Lifx Clean uses does not have the same UV light issues. HEV light comes with its own disadvantages, though, most notably, the light's effect on bacteria has not been studied as much as UV light's effect.
Much of the studies and research done have focused mainly on its ability to kill bacteria, and there is less evidence to suggest that it is effective against different viruses, like COVID-19.
Lifx Clean has pointed this out. In its announcement in 2020, the company stated that it does not claim to be effective in thoroughly cleaning surfaces of viruses, including COVID-19. The company wants the public to understand that they are not selling the lightbulb as a coronavirus killer.
The Lifx Clean is more of an antibacterial lightbulb and not an antiviral. Bacterial infections can create very serious complications for those who get sick because of the virus, so although it can't eliminate viruses on surfaces, it can still make it clean.
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Written by Sieeka Khan
