Our society is in a battle against the spread of the pandemic COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus. People are taking precautions to keep themselves and their family from catching the disease. Self-quarantining, disinfecting commonly touched surfaces, practising the use of the sanitizer, rubbing alcohol and other disinfectants are the measures taken by the common people to eliminate the spread of the disease.
Social distancing is a very effective habit suggested by experts and many government institutions to prevent the spread. In this circumstance, there will be a rise in online purchases and hence packages will be delivered to the customers – Studies show that there are chances of retaining the presence of the virus on the surfaces for a certain period of time. This gives rise to another situation where the people worry about the hygiene of the delivered packages or the spread of disease through contact with packages. So there is a need for disinfecting the delivered packages before contacting it, the disinfection will eliminate unwanted concern on receiving the package and can be free of worries regarding the spread through packages.
The common practice of disinfection includes the use of liquid soap-based or alcohol-based disinfectant sprayed on to the surface to be treated. But this is not recommended in the case of packages due to the risk of damaging or contaminating the contained components. Other than the common disinfection method, treating the packages by exposing to a UV light is an effective and proven method to disinfect and kill viruses and bacteria present on the surface of the object or packages.
UV and Types
UV is abundantly available naturally from sunlight, but, there are different types of UV light depending on the wavelength – Namely UV-A. UV-B and UV-C. The Short Wavelength UV-C is most effective towards viruses and is desirable for disinfecting applications. However, UV-C is completely filtered by our atmosphere and does not reach the earth’s surface. All type of UV tubes/ lamps are available in the market. By exposing for a defined period of time, UV technology destroys an organism by damaging its DNA or RNA and will not allow it to grow further. Some UV light is also known to be hazardous to the human eye and skin on exposure for a long period of time. It is highly recommended to avoid exposure for long periods of time.
Guide to Creating your own UV Disinfection Box
A UV Disinfecting Box or a Cabinet rack is a solution that can be employed at homes, offices, apartments etc…The received packages or objects can be disinfected and handled without the worry of transmission of diseases.
Step 1 : The UV package disinfecting apparatus can be created using any of the available cabinet rack or boxes at homes or one can create the entire apparatus from scratch by using any fabricating panel material such as plywood, aluminium sheet, composite boards or any sheet material. These panels should be sized into desired dimensions and assembled to a box with one side as a door held by a hinge.
Step 2 : The inner surface of the box is to be made into a shiny or reflecting surface to improve the efficiency of the apparatus. Any mirror-like sheets such as aluminium foil or similar material can be used for this. White glossy paint on the surface can also be used if other reflecting materials are not available.
Step 3 : Different size, shape, wattage and type of UV-C lights are available in the market. The size of the tube may vary according to the requirement and the size of the box created. The type and shape can also be selected according to the availability of the components. Commonly available UV-C light is a tube available of different length and requires a choke to run it. It is recommended to fix one tube at each inner face of the box and the choke can be placed outside the box specifically at the rear of the box.
Step 4 : The wires of the tubes are to be connected to the choke according to the diagram shown on the choke and are connected to the AC supply. The wiring to the choke may differ according to the brand of the choke. Optionally, the line to the AC supply can be connected through a mechanical timer similar to that found in an oven and also pass through a safety SPDT switch. (The SPDT safety switch is meant to cut the power while the door is open.)
Step 5 : Additionally, a rack can be used in the box to safely place the package into the box. Instead of a mechanical timer, a clock or a mobile timer can be used to track the period of time the package is kept inside the disinfectant box.
The time required to disinfect the package depends on the number of tubes used, reflective finish of the inner wall, type of the UV light/ lamp and its arrangement. It is recommended to keep the package for disinfection for about 20-25 minutes for completely disinfecting the package.
We understand that you might be interested in creating one for yourself. However, please take necessary precautions wherever needed. UVC light exposure to the human body is dangerous. Meanwhile, have a look at the video below:
Feel free to get in touch with our Product Engineers who can walk you through the whole process or if you need us to set up this device for your office or apartments. And stay home, stay safe. Let’s overcome this pandemic together.
