How to Banish Airborne Bacteria and Improve Your Air Quality with UV Lights

UV (ultraviolet) lights do a remarkable job at improving air quality indoors with little effort on your part. These light bulbs mimic a spectrum of sunshine that acts as a disinfectant for bacteria, viruses and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The UV lights clean by reducing their populations. When the organic materials are exposed to the light, their DNA alters and they can’t reproduce.

Their Placement

The lights are installed in HVAC systems because a lot of air passes through them and the light rays won’t make contact with your eyes. UV light damages eyesight if you view it directly. The lights are installed inside the ductwork and/or the air handler. As the organic gases or particles go by the light rays, they’re basically neutralized.

The lights are often placed so that they shine on the evaporator coil inside the air handler. This coil is vulnerable to mold growth since it condenses the humidity in the air, which mold needs to take hold. Undisturbed, the mold can clog the coil completely, and no cooling will occur.

A moldy coil also spreads mold spores through the ductwork, where they blow into all your rooms and reduce air quality. Placed inside the ductwork, the lights will prevent mold growth and help reduce the bacterial or viral population inside your home.

UV Lights and VOCs

VOCs come from common household products and unless you make an effort to avoid them, they could cause short- and long-term damage to your health. Other than UV lights, the only way to minimize their health effects is to eliminate them from your home. Since they’re in anything made from hydrocarbons like cleaning supplies, perfumes, air fresheners, dry cleaning, vehicles, makeup, paint, new flooring and furniture, it’s hard to do without them.

More UV Benefits

Besides improving indoor air, the lights eliminate the need to use strong germicidal cleaning supplies, making it safer for your pets and children who have far more contact with harsh cleaning chemicals than adults.