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Water dispensers that kill germs. A closet steamer that eliminates bacteria from fabric. A robot that uses ultraviolet light to sanitize high-traffic areas. A “disinfecting cabinet” to zap items like cell phones, keys and wallets.
Samsung AirDresser
Samsung
As it appears that COVID-19 will be a part of our lives, in some way, for the long term, the $588 billion global appliance industry has pivoted to focus on hygiene. Companies are rolling out new coronavirus-inspired upgrades.
Appliance-giant Samsung noted, “The events of 2020 fundamentally changed the global home appliance industry."
People have spent more time quarantining at home this last year cooking, filling their freezers and washing more loads of laundry and dishes than ever before, and they're in the market for new appliances. Data shows appliance sales increased 8 percent in 2020, with sales of water filtration devices, filters, cleaning devices and air purifiers experiencing double — and sometimes triple — digit increases.
But do people really need these extra disinfectors and sanitizers? Medical experts aren't too sure.
"I applaud the appliance industry for thinking about ways to keep people safe,” says Claudia Hoyen, M.D., codirector of infection control for University Hospitals in Cleveland. “But I think for this virus, some of those things might not be necessary."
Some advantages to appliances that sanitize
Still appliance-makers are forging ahead, thinking these “extras” will help them market to a buying public on high-alert about coronavirus infection.
Samsung introduced the AirDresser, an in-closet appliance that uses high temperature steam to sanitize clothing and eliminate bacteria from fabrics. Whirlpool also focused on sanitizing clothing and linens, adding a “sanitize cycle” to its washing machines to remove 99.9 percent of three common household bacteria the manufacturer claims might still be lurking in laundry washed in regular machines.
LG Electronics added ultraviolet LED lights to the nozzles on the drinking water dispensers in its refrigerators, noting that the feature removes up to 99.9 percent of bacteria. The South Korean appliance manufacturer also announced it is developing an autonomous robot, to be unveiled later this year, that uses ultraviolet light to disinfect surfaces in high-traffic areas to reduce exposure to harmful bacteria and germs.
Both approaches could be effective: Research shows that UV radiation can kill harmful microorganisms in drinking water and can be used to inactivate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
