Lab – LIFX Clean A60 Bulb Disinfecting HEV Light


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The LIFX Clean A60 bulb can produce white and colored light, but also HEV light to eliminate bacteria. We tried it.

Lifx Clean

Introductory price 79 €

we tested we liked

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Editor's Rating: 4 out of 5

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Bulbs capable of eliminating bacteria. This is what the connected lighting specialist LIFX promises with its Clean range and the HEV (high visible energy) light of the bulbs that compose it. Two in number, these adopt the same A60 format, with an E27 base for one and B22 for the other. The first arrived at the editorial office and we obviously wanted to see what this HEV light was doing, or at least analyze it; because yes, as sophisticated as it is, our laboratory unfortunately does not allow us to measure its bactericidal effect.

The LIFX Clean A60 bulb in action.

blue-violet light

To begin, we adorned a lamp with the Clean A60 bulb and installed it in front of our spectrometer, placed one meter away. All that remains is to turn it on and select the Clean mode of the application to activate the HEV light and start the measurements. On reading the results, it can be seen that this light is essentially composed of blue and violet light with wavelengths between 380 and 510 nm.

LIFX Clean A60 bulb HEV light spectrum.

LIFX Clean A60 bulb HEV light spectrum.

HEV light should therefore not be confused with UV, or ultraviolet, light which is also used for sanitary purposes. With a wavelength between 100 and 380 nm, it also helps to fight against bacteria, and even against viruses. So many manufacturers have adopted it during the coronavirus pandemic to integrate it into all kinds of devices. It is also used in the medical field, but still has some disadvantages. It is not only harmful to micro-organisms, and can in particular cause skin and eye lesions in humans.

An ineffective solution against viruses and difficult to implement

Since it is blue light, HEV light can also be harmful, but to a lesser extent. This is also the reason why LIFX preferred it to ultraviolet, despite less efficiency. If he advances efficiency rates above 90%, only two bacteria are mentioned: staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) and Escheria coli (E.coli). LIFX also makes available the study which allows it to affirm that its ampoules are effective against the latter, and one can find other works suggesting that they could be against other bacteria such as Clostridium difficile (C.difficile), particularly near the University of StrathClyde in Glasgow.

The LIFX Clean A60 bulb in action.

On the other hand, the effectiveness of blue light has not been proven against viruses, such as SARS-COV-2, and its action is slow. The study highlighted by LIFX shows that it takes at least two hours of exposure to eliminate more than 90% of E. coli germs on an object only 40 cm away, and 12 hours to reach a similar rate on the S.aureus, the efficiency decreasing further with distance. At 1.21 m, a distance comparable to that between a work surface and a suspension on a ceiling at 2.50 m for example, the rate remains below the 90% promised by LIFX for the two bacteria even after 12 hours of exposure. (80% on average for E.coli and 75% for S.aureus).

Even with the possibility of programming the Clean function of the eponymous bulbs during the night, for example, their slowness combined with the lack of effectiveness against viruses such as that of the coronavirus which has turned our lives upside down since 2020 make them a more than relative asset in our eyes. They can nevertheless count on other qualities, which we invite you to discover in our complete test.



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