PhoneSoap Review: Does This UV-Light Phone Sanitizer Device Actually Work?

Are you reading this on your phone right now?

My phone touches everything I do. I historically don’t clean my phone as often as I wash my hands. It doesn’t help that my phone spends a lot of time in warm, dark places like pockets and purses — ideal conditions for many germs.

It’s probably hard to hear, but the number of germs on your phone might bring new meaning to the concept of “dirty talk.” Studies show your smartphone is a breeding ground for germs. More than you could ever imagine, in fact.

But between bathroom breaks that are better with Instagram, handshakes with strangers, and all the questionable surfaces we leave our phones on, there’s really no way to avoid germs.

Even just this week, Apple announced that it’s OK to use Clorox disinfecting wipes and 70% isopropyl alcohol on Apple devices. Apple previous warned they might be too abrasive for screens.

But what about the popular PhoneSoap phone sanitizer, an intense-looking device that uses UV-C light to supposedly “disinfect your phone, while also charging your phone”?

I have the PhoneSoap Go, which can be charged ahead of time and taken on the go to clean your phone at anytime, anywhere. Other PhoneSoap products include the the PhoneSoap 3, which sanitizes and also charges in 10 minutes ($80); the PhoneSoap Pro, which sanitizes in 5 minutes ($120); and HomeSoap, which is big enough for larger devices like tablets, remotes and small laptops ($200).

As someone who can trace every cheek pimple back to a handheld phone call, I was intrigued by the idea of portable product that might disinfect a phone that goes with me everywhere — from the bathroom to the bedroom.

Interestingly, searches for the PhoneSoap device have rapidly increased over the past couple of weeks as people search for information about how to keep themselves — and their devices — germ free.

In fact, CNN Underscored deemed PhoneSoap “the phone sanitizer you didn’t know you needed.” Business Insider called it a “clever device,” while Engadget deemed it “the most intense” of phone sanitizing devices.

But is PhoneSoap actually worth the hype? Here’s what we found.