# Can I use my blacklights to kill COVID-19?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-my-blacklights-to-kill-covid-19/849931
**Category:** The Quarantine Zone
**Tags:** covid-quarantine
**Created:** [March 21, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-my-blacklights-to-kill-covid-19/849931 "2020-03-21T01:13:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-my-blacklights-to-kill-covid-19/849931/1 "2020-03-21T01:13:12Z")

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I have several blacklight bulbs (I create fluorescent art) and I’m wondering: can I use them to clean my mail and shoes and things of COVID-19?

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### Author: ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-my-blacklights-to-kill-covid-19/849931/2 "2020-03-21T01:23:30Z")

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Nope. The UV used to sterilize things is UV-C, (in the area of 240-280 nm wavelength) which is dangerous to humans and any other living thing as it damages DNA.

Your backlights for art are UV-A range, probably a type known as BLB or “blacklight-blue” which is about 350-370 nm.

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### Author: ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2020, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-my-blacklights-to-kill-covid-19/849931/3 "2020-03-21T01:26:35Z")

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Dang. Thanks.

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### Author: ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-my-blacklights-to-kill-covid-19/849931/4 "2020-03-21T02:59:37Z")

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They sell handheld UV-C sterilizing wands on Amazon, they’re not terribly expensive.

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### Author: ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-my-blacklights-to-kill-covid-19/849931/5 "2020-03-21T03:23:30Z")

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> [@SmartAleq](#):
>
> They sell handheld UV-C sterilizing wands on Amazon, they’re not terribly expensive.

The amount of UV exposure required to sterilize is quite high - I suspect that any non-industrial source is going to be too weak to be very effective.

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### Author: ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2020, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-my-blacklights-to-kill-covid-19/849931/6 "2020-03-21T03:38:33Z")

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You can take the filtering glass envelope off a std. Mercury vapor street-light type lamp, and have a handy, Strong source of 185nm UVC. I use such a rig to catalyze epoxy resin curing. It is Not a lamp you want to look at. It Will burn spots in your retinas.