That’s where UV sanitisers come in handy. Pop your phone into one and it’ll be bathed in UV-C light, helping to kill off any nasties hanging around on its surface.

You can also use a sanitiser to clean other bits of tech such as your earbuds, and the items you carry around with you, like your watch, keys and pens. 

Or at least, that’s the promise. The big question is: do UV sanitisers work? The best answer we can give is that they do, to some extent. UV-C light is an efficient way to destroy microbial life and is commonly used in labs and industrial settings.

But commercially available devices aren’t as powerful. A lot will depend on how strong the light is, whether it can reach all the surfaces of the items it’s cleaning and how long they are exposed to it. Most devices claim to be able to remove 99+% of bacteria and viruses but we doubt that’s likely outside of a lab.

UV sanitisers should be used as one layer of protection in the routine you use to keep items clean. But in this capacity, they’re pretty nice to have around. That’s why we’ve rounded up and tested some of the best sanitisers on the market.

If you’d like to find out more about how UV sanitisers work, have a look at our guide. And if you want buying advice, you can check it out after the chart. Otherwise, read on for our recommendations.

What to look out for when you’re buying a UV sanitiser

Safety

UV sanitisers work by breaking down the DNA of microbial life with UV-C light. This means that UV-C light is equally dangerous to human and animal skin and eyes: strong UV-C light can cause burns and lead to skin cancer.

				Attractive					   					Flattens for portability					   					Spacious					 

				Expensive					   					No wireless charging option

It’s big enough to fit your phone and the bits you carry around with you day-to-day, such as your wallet, watch and earbuds.

It’s not battery powered but its USB-C connector means you can charge it from a portable battery pack on the fly, as well as (obviously) plugging it into an outlet.

But looking this good comes at a price. While the Deep Purple is one of the most expensive UV sanitisers we’ve tested, it has no other features or functionality.

				Very large					   					Drying function for just-washed items					   					HEPA filter					 

				Needs a dedicated spot in your home

It’s as big as a bread maker, so it’ll need a dedicated spot in your home but its size means you can also use it to sanitise home medical equipment, baby bottles and toys.

As well as just sanitising, it has a sanitise and dry option, so you can ensure that just-washed items aren’t left damp and prone to bacterial growth. It also features a HEPA filter to give the items being cleaned another layer of protection.

It’s a really solid appliance at a good price point.

				Wireless charging					   					USB-A port for charging other tech					   					Good size					 

				Doesn't lock so could flap open in your bag

It has a rapid (3 minute) and an intensive (10 minute) cleaning cycle.

It’s light enough to carry around with you and has a USB-C port to attach to the mains, plus a USB-A port to charge other tech.

The QDOS also functions as a Qi wireless charger. Stick your phone on top of the box and use the rapid 5, 7.5 or 10W charging to bump your phone up to 100% in three hours. 

The QDOS isn’t the cheapest UV sanitiser on the market, but it’s light, robust and its additional features make it well worth a spot on your desk. 

				Affordable					   					Wireless charging					 

				Can be opened mid-cycle					   					Not large enough to clean glasses

The Belkin sanitiser has two cleaning cycles, one for 3 minutes that promises to rid your device of 97% of bacteria and one for 10 minutes that promises 99.99%. It’s only recommended for use with non-porous items, so it’ll work on your phone but not your wallet.

We had one issue with the device. It can be opened mid-cycle and the light does leak out for a moment before the automatic shut-off kicks in. Belkin says that it’s only for a fraction of a second and it’s not harmful to your eyes, but if you’re buying a phone sanitiser to feel a bit safer, this may just be replacing one worry with another.

				Portable					   					Spacious					   					2 cycle lengths					 

				Some light does leak out when lid used alone

However, this is also what gives us some doubts about the product as, without the snug fit of the rest of the device, some light does leak out from under the lid during use. Lift up the lid and the light will switch off – but it doesn’t happen instantly.

Still, take the box with you as well and you’ll find that it’s spacious enough to sanitise chunkier items such as your wallet or glasses.

Like many of the box-style UV sanitisers we’ve tested, it has both a 3-minute and a 10-minute sanitising cycle. It plugs in via a micro-USB cable but there’s no wireless charging and no spare ports.

You should look for a product that effectively shields its light. Most effective UV-C sanitisers will operate within a sealed box.

What can you clean with a UV-C light?

If you’re going to invest in a sanitiser, the first thing to figure out is what you want to clean with it. Most sanitisers will work best on items with flat, non-porous surfaces and few crevices. That’s why they’re a useful solution for cleaning tech. 

Most smaller UV sanitisers are designed to fit a phone. This means you can also clean smaller items such as your earbuds and watch. But check the dimensions of the device you want to buy because not every sanitiser is deep enough to fit your glasses.

Only one of the sanitisers we’ve reviewed ( the Coral UV 2) would be able to clean a tablet.

Wands or boxes?

Most UV-C sanitisers either look like wands or boxes. We haven’t recommended any UV-C wands and here’s why.

For a start, it’s not likely that they’ll be effective. Surfaces need sustained exposure to UV-C light to destroy microbial life. Most UV-C sanitisers will have a quick cycle that’s no shorter than three minutes, which means that a quick swipe with a wand will do very little. And holding a wand over your phone for 3 minutes is a pretty poor use of your time.

There’s also a safety issue. If a wand were really strong enough to be effective, it would be dangerous to your eyes and to any skin it passed over.

Extra features

To earn a spot on your desk, smaller phone sanitisers may have other features, including extra ports for charging other tech and a wireless charging option. This should work with all Qi-enabled phones and earbuds and should give your tech a full charge in three hours.

If you’re looking at a larger sanitiser, it may have other cleaning features, such as drying and air filtering.

Emma is Home Tech Editor at Tech Advisor. She covers everything from kitchen appliances to smart home devices, from floor care to personal care to air care technology. She’s particularly interested in environmentally conscious brands and products that save people time and money.