If there is one thing that the past two years have taught us, it is the importance of cleaning and disinfection, to fight COVID19, but also all kinds of viruses and bacteria.But why bother doing things manually when technology can help?This is the case of the LIFX Clean, a connected bulb capable of changing brightness and color, but which also uses the HEV light (high energy visible) to kill bacteria!I suggest you discover it in more detail in this test.

Unpacking the LIFX Clean bulb

LIFX is not such a new manufacturer, since it has been offering connected bulbs for many years now.It is even a direct competitor of Philips Hue, since LIFX offers a large catalog of products, requiring any gateway, the bulbs connecting directly to WiFi.A strong point that is not negligible.This new LIFX Clean bulb therefore completes the catalog with an original product to say the least, but which could be very useful in our health context.

The packaging announces the color: a bulb in E27 format of 1200 lumens (12W equivalent to an 80W bulb, therefore), and compatible with all voice assistants: Google, Amazon, but also Homekit de Apple, and SmartThings de Samsung.

Inside, we simply find the LIFX Clean bulb, accompanied by a notice (available in French) and a small test card for light HEV.

If you have already had the opportunity to see a LIFX bulb, no surprise: we find Form Factor specific to the brand, with the flat end of the bulb.Only a small star logo comes to identify it to point out that it is the model with the cleaning function.

Compared to a Philips Hue bulb, the LIFX Clean is a little larger, with a diameter of 62mm, but keeping proportions all the same compact, capable of accommodating most of the lights.

Nothing special to report here.Let's move on to it without further delay.

Use of the LIFX Clean bulb

As for most connected bulbs, use is extremely simple, since it is enough to screw it in an E27 socket, which corresponds to the majority of lamps in our interiors.

But to fully exploit its capacities, you must go through the installation of the mobile application, available on Android and iOS.

If we do not have a LIFX account, we will have to create one beforehand.A few screens then explain the operation of the application, to manage connected lighting in the house.

On the first screen, click on the “+” at the bottom right to add a new lamp.

The application will automatically detect the new bulb, which is enough to select from the list.

We indicate the WiFi network to join.Please note, it will take a WiFi network in 2.4GHz.

The bulb is automatically configured to reach the indicated WiFi network.We can then indicate in which room is the bulb, and give it a name to easily recognize it.

At the end of the configuration, we can also continue with the configuration of Google and Amazon voice assistants.For Homekit, this will be done directly in the Apple House application.The usual commands are available, from adjustment of a color specific to the ignition and extinction of the light, including the luminosity adjustment.The only thing you can't do is activate the cleaning cycle.

The installation takes place in a few minutes, and is very simple to access!

You can then control your bulb very easily from the application.It is possible to make him take one of the many shades of white, from white to cold white, by rotating the wheel of the nuances.In the center, from top to bottom, you can adjust the brightness.We find the same principle on the color tab, to make it take one of the 16 million colors available.A button on the lower part allows the bulb to be turned on or off.A simple and efficient interface.

The “Themes” tab, it allows you to adopt pre -configured colors to reproduce certain atmospheres.

It is even possible to record your own pallets, to quickly resume a defined color.

Fairly classic functions for a connected bulb.But note, however, that the brightness of this bulb is excellent thanks to its 1200 lumens!Many connected bulbs offer only 800 lumens at best.So here we have a very good connected bulb.

But the specificity of this clean lifx is its anti bacterial function thanks to the HEV light.To take advantage of it, just click at the top right on the small stars.A screen then opens on the bottom, to determine the duration of the “cleaning” cycle cycle.Once activated, the display goes into blue, with a count:

The bulb also goes into a blue light, which is its HEV mode (high -energy visible, with a wavelength of 405 nanometers).

A few parameters can be adjusted for this function: the default duration, but also the possibility of being notified when the cleaning cycle is finished, by flashing the bulb three times.

The programming option allows you to choose the moment when you want the light to turn on and the color.From there, you can also program a cleaning cycle: you can program it so that it takes place automatically, when you are in bed, for example, which can be very practical to launch cleaning cycles without having toto take care of.

The cleaning function in detail

We have already presented several products using UVs to kill viruses and bacteria, such as the UV + Ozone lamp, the AMIBOT, or even the Bioclean Box vacuum cleaner, which sterilizes the devices placed inside.

If it is certain that UV light is more effective in killing bacteria and viruses than the LIFX Clean HEV light, it is also harmful to humans and pets.This is the reason why the Philips UV-C Desinfection lamp, for example, is equipped with a motion detector, so that it can die automatically if a living being enters the room during cleaning.HEV light is safe for humans, which seems to be interesting progress.

But what you gain safely, you lose it in efficiency: when a UVC lamp is capable of purifying an entire room in 15 minutes, the LIFX Clean will work better over longer periods and shorter distances.Ideally, it must even be directed to the objects you want to clean.It is not for nothing else that the illustrations on the packaging and the notice show this bulb mounted on a small lamp on foot, type office lamp type.

The LIFX Clean has been tested in the laboratory against the bacteria E coli and and the staphylococcus gilded (s aureus).40 cm from distance and for two hours, the LIFX Clean managed to kill 90.32 % E coli but only 20.57 % of s aureus.80 cm away, the LIFX Clean is able to deactivate 69.61 % of the Aureus in two hours, which is more effective than 40 cm apart.

Increasing the operating time can also help: with an operation from 12 hours to 40 cm, the LIFX bulb can deactivate 99.54 % E coli and 98.67 % of Aureus, which is very effective.

The maximum distance to which the bulb was tested was 122 cm.With a 12 -hour cleaning cycle, 84.52 % of E coli were disabled and 73 % of S Aureus.

Efficiency is therefore pretty good.But it depends a lot on the operating time, and the distance.At 40cm for 12 hours, it will not be easy for most users, both for the distance to be respected and for the duration.

The fact that your home has light or not at the right height depends on the construction and the light.At home, the dining room light is installed 2.2m high (standard ceiling of 2.5m - luminaire height).The bulb is therefore 1.30m from the dining table.In the kitchen, I have bulbs 90 cm above the island, which places them within the limits of the tested range.On the other hand, in the living room, sofa and living table are much more distant and exceed the maximum distance tested.

There are therefore places where the LIFX Clean will indeed cleanse the surfaces within range, by killing the bacteria present.Be careful however, this bulb does not kill viruses such as COVVI-19, unlike other UVC equipment, more powerful.However, the company continues other tests for a new product that could effectively fight against the SARS-COV-2 virus.To be continued !

For many homes, it could therefore be difficult to obtain a lighting that is in the right place: a lamp that can be tilted and directed where you wish would be the most logical, allowing you to clean a specific area ofYour home, for example cleaning your phone, wallet and keys overnight, or disinfect your keyboard and mouse on your desktop.In my opinion, we must consider this bulb in this configuration rather than place it on a ceiling lamp and say that the whole room is cleaned.This will not be the case.

Conclusion

The LIFX Clean is a powerful connected bulb, accompanied by excellent application.It produces powerful colors and is also very bright.The HEV function is undoubtedly the characteristic that brings it out.Nevertheless, this feature has a cost, since the LIFX Clean is sold nearly € 80.And above all, its usefulness depends on the lighting time of the light and its position: a 12 -hour cycle is probably too long for most people, because who wants to have a light lit during half the day (orAll night long) ?Then, there is the question of height placement: this bulb, according to LIFX research, works better when it is relatively close to objects, it is therefore necessary to bring this bulb of objects you want to bring this bulb closerto clean.

If you have the right configuration (for example, an office lamp that you can guide) and you want an automated way to attack bacteria, the LIFX Clean is capable of doing it.However, it is difficult to obtain the ideal conditions for it to work effectively.In the accommodation of an individual, the use will not be ideal, or must be reserved for small rooms (bathroom, WC) or used with a foot lamp to clean precise objects placed below.On the other hand, in a workplace, in an office, it can indeed have an interest: one can imagine the lamp on a good part of the night above the workstation, to disinfect keyboard, mouse, office, etc..But that will not replace disinfection currently done to fight COVID-19, this bulb killing bacteria, but not viruses.

A very interesting product, therefore, and which deserves to be improved a little to also fight against viruses.