One year of owning the HomeSoap UV Sanitizer – an updated review…
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I’ve owned the HomeSoap UV Sanitizer for over a year, and am updating my blog with a post to share my thoughts now vs. unboxing the appliance.
You can read my original HomeSoap unboxing review HERE.
I bought my HomeSoap with my own money, and am not sponsored by PhoneSoap.
Not that that really matters – I always share my honest opinion with my readers!
But I wanted to note that for any new readers I have on this post because it’s probably an important deciding factor when trying to determine if anything I’m sharing is worth reading.
This post was requested by several of my readers because at a price point of around $199, it’s considered a bigger purchase and I know they (and you) want to see how it’s held up over time.
I first purchased the HomeSoap as an easy way to sanitize the items you can’t really wipe down without worrying about damaging like…
- phones
- tablets
- remotes
- glasses
- battery-operated kids toys
…and more.
And we’ve been using it every single day for the last 18 months or so.
This post contains affiliate links, however, all opinions are my own, as always.
HomeSoap UV Sanitizer Update
HomeSoap Red Lightning Bolt
Let’s start with my issues…
This amounts to one total issue – the red light.
On the front of the appliance, there is a lightning bolt symbol that lights up white when the appliance is actively running and sanitizing.
This helps you know the machine is working.
When there’s an issue that the machine detects while running, the lightning bolt will turn red…
My machine randomly does this, and I’m not entirely sure why. It happens often enough to be a little frustrating, but I reached out to customer service to see what the problem might be.
They recommended I unplug my device, wait a few minutes, and then plug it back in.
I do this about once a week and it seems to fix this issue, but temporarily.
During the first 12 months of owning this appliance, I did not have the HomeSoap red light issue at all.
Other than that issue, I love being able to toss in small random items to sanitize them.
This is great for my preteen’s cell phone now, too!
HomeSoap Kills Germs
The HomeSoap kills bacteria on our phones, remotes, and other small items we put in it.
Yes, we can rub down our devices and remotes with a quick wet wipe with cleaner or rubbing alcohol, but to really sanitize these surfaces, the wet cleaner would need to be in contact with the surface for several minutes (for some cleaners this can be up to 10 minutes of contact time), and there’s always a risk that the wet cleaner you use can seep into the inner mechanisms of the device, remotes, etc. you’re trying to clean and ruin it.
HomeSoap Ozone Smell
I have not personally had this issue, but I did have one reader that reached out to me asking about an ozone smell coming from their unit.
I messaged PhoneSoap (the makers of HomeSoap) on Instagram to nail down a response from their team as to why that might happen, and here’s what I received in response.
Here is the transcription of the image above, in case it doesn’t display:
“Hi there,
All of our units are equipped with UV-C light technology which produces a minor amount of ozone, wll below the required limit. Ozone within the chamber remains below .05ppm at all times, which is the OSHA standard for ensuring lung health. Therefore, it is not dangerous!
It is not uncommon to notice a scent after the use of one of our devices; it is the ozone that produces the smell. It is assurance that the light technology is working as it is intended to. It can be described as a similar smell of a doctor’s office or a slight burning smell. No worries, that is just the smell of the germs being killed! It does not last long; it will dissipate after about 15 minutes or so.
Please let me know if you have further questions!
Daphne, PhoneSoap Support”.
As someone who uses aqueous ozone in their home already with their laundry system, I can say that wet ozone typically smells like a rainstorm outside, although I’m sure with the nature of dry ozone being produced, the rainstorm smell might not be present.
It is reassuring to know that the chamber and unit produce a very small amount of ozone.
Again, I haven’t experienced this smell with my unit in the 18 months we’ve had it, so I can only contribute the PhoneSoap team’s response, and appreciate their detailed explanation.
My Final Thoughts on the HomeSoap
I still love our HomeSoap – it offers me peace of mind when it comes to sanitizing some of the germiest surfaces we come into contact with every day.
Here’s a petri dish sample I took before and after using the HomeSoap appliance to sanitize our phones – ewwwww!
These results are after several days, by the way.
I do wish they’d find a way to fix the red light ‘bug’ that my appliance has, although this may have already been solved as newer machines are produced, released, and sold since I purchased mine.
Do you own the HomeSoap appliance? What are your thoughts? Are there additional questions you have that I can update this post with? Let me know in the comments below!