Talking Dirty? Invention Sanitizes + Charges Filthy Phones

There are a lot of things to worry about in day-to-day life, but get ready to be really freaked out by something that is probably within three feet of you right now: your phone. According to the inventors of PhoneSoap, there are more germs on our phones than there are on toilet handles – they love the constantly warm surfaces of phones. And to make matters worse, there is no simple and safe way to clean a smartphone.

The PhoneSoap, of course, is here to change that. The invention is small and unassuming to look at, but it really is quite ingenious in function. It uses UV-C light to sterilize a cell phone in 3-5 minutes. The light disrupts the DNA of germs, viruses and other nasty things living on your phone, killing them and easing your germophobic worries.

But aside from cleaning your phone safely, the PhoneSoap also provides a handy charging station. Since many of us charge our phones overnight and use them as alarm clocks in the morning, the PhoneSoap is able to integrate nicely into that routine. The box contains both an Apple cord and a micro USB cord so you can charge most types of phones while the PhoneSoap is doing its cleaning thing. When you wake up your phone is fully charged and super-clean. The project is seeking initial funding through Kickstarter; you can get your own PhoneSoap for a $39 donation.

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See more in Phones & Mobile or under Gadgets. April, 2012.