Pocket Purifier and SunMate (Giveaway)

Purely Products sent me two very unique items to review: the Pocket Purifier and the SunMate.

The Pocket Purifier ($29.95)  is a small hand-held device that uses UV-C rays to sterilize items. The packaging tells me that the Pocket Purifier “uses built in 4 watt germicidal ultraviolet light—the same UV technology used in hospitals to sterilize surgical equipment.” It can be used to kill 99.9% of all germs on any hard surface—phones, pacifiers, computer keyboards, doorknobs, and so on. It sounded like a great idea, but I was a bit skeptical, so we decided to do a little experiment…..

We set up 2 petri dishes with agar growing medium and divided each dish into four sections. We used cotton swabs to apply germs from four surfaces:

1. tongue

2. telephone

3. computer keyboard

4. the dog’s nose (Emily’s suggestion!)

Each petri dish was infected with the same four “germy places.” Then we held the Pocket Purifier over one dish for 15 seconds.

In 2 days, this is what we saw:

 

 

 

 

 

The sterilized samples had significantly less bacterial growth. The sample from the computer keyboard was the only one with significant growth.

Then, we re-sterilized dish 2 and waited two more days.  There was less growth in the sterilized dish, but there was still quite a bit of bacterial growth in three of the four sections. (Isn’t this “pretty”?)  Part of the sterilized dish turned brown—I guess the UV-C light burned whatever was growing there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We devised one more experiment to test the effectiveness of the Pocket Purifier. This time, I took our sample from the bathroom doorknob. This time, we swabbed the surface and infected the first dish. Then we sterilized the doorknob, swabbed it, and infected the second dish. This time, I made my own growing medium from gelatin, sugar, and bouillon. As you can see, again, there was some growth in both samples, but much less growth from the sterilized doorknob. 

 

 

 

 

  I’m not guaranteeing the scientific method in my home test, but it was fun to do and help to assure me that there was some validity to UV light sterilization with a pocket-sized device.

If you are looking for a quick, easy, and non-toxic way to kill germs, then you may want to consider the Pocket Purifier. I think this would be especially helpful for surfaces like a computer keyboard that would be hard to wipe down. It’s also small enough to carry in a purse or diaper bag to sterilize restaurant tables, public bathroom doorknobs, or other yucky places.

The SunMate  ($19.95) is a device that “measures the sun’s ultraviolet strength intensity instantly.” By holding the device in the sun and pressing  a button for a few seconds, a  1-5 rating results, indicating low danger up to extreme risk. The National Weather Service creates a UV index forcast map. The SunMate provides a similar function.

Sunmate was quick and easy to use. I like to wear sunscreen, and have my kids wear sunscreen any time they are out in the direct sun anyway, but it was interesting to see the UV measurement from the Sunmate.

By following this link, you can receive a  25% discount on your entire order from Purely Products until August 5.  A portion of Purely Products sales supports DiaperLove, a non-profit, providing diapers to children in need.

Giveaway! (US and Canada) Now, for the fun part! Purely Products is giving away a SunMate to one of my readers. To enter, leave a comment telling me how you would use one of these products. Winner will be chosen by random.org on July 22.

Additional entries: (Please leave a comment for each.)

1. Follow me on Google Friend Connect.

2. Follow Purely Products on Facebook.

3. Follow Purely Products on Twitter.

4.Visit the Super Star Speech website or follow Super Star Speech on Facebook.

This is a Mama Buzz review. These items were provided to me free by Purely Products. All opinions are my own.