Do UV sanitation devices work?

Question:

My question is about UV sanitation light boxes that non-standard salons and hairdressers use for disinfection. Do these really work? 

Answer:

I understand what you mean, but I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that UV is not light. Light is energy that your eyes can see, but UV is invisible so it is NOT light. Instead, UV is a form of energy, so we should call it UV energy or simply UV.

Now, to answer your question, these so-called “UV sanitation” devices will NOT properly clean, disinfect or sterilize implements. For those purposes they are useless, and I do NOT recommend them. If you already have one and want to continue to use it, my recommendation is that it only be used to store previously clean and disinfected implements/tools. They make great dust-free storage cabinets, but that would be all I would use them for in the salon.

So in my opinion, the UV devices sold to salons for implements are a waste of money.  UV-C energy is used to sterilize devices, but UV nail lamps do not produce any UV-C, at all. Instead, these devices rely on UV-A which has a much lower ability to kill pathogens.  Another big problem is that the UV energy can’t reach both sides of the implement nor can the UV get into tight spots, e.g. pivot points on shears. This is why the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies in other countries recommend full emersion of these implements/tools into a liquid disinfectant to prevent the spread of pathogens.