UltraViolet Light Services

What is a Blacklight Inspection

A  “Blacklight“  also referred to as an UltraViolet/UV  light, is a lamp that emits long-wave UV light (UV-A) and very little visible light. What may appear invisible to the naked eye under daylight, shows up under the rays of a black light as certain stains and objects absorb the short wavelengths of UV-A light and reflect it back. 

Blacklights have hundreds of applications in Medicine, Biology, Chemistry, Forensics, Materials Science, HVAC, Mineralogy, etc,. Detection of skin abnormalities as well as counterfeit money, fraud in artwork, fatigue in metals and tracing refrigeration leaks are just a few examples for every day applications. Hotels and restaurants use black light inspections for cleaning.

What Do We Look For  & Where

We use Blacklights to detect stains in restrooms that are not otherwise visible.

Main concern is urine splattering on floors, partitions and walls as well as backsplash from toilets landing on nearby surfaces after flushing. Urine accumulated in porous grout will become a home for bacteria and other pathogens and may be a source for foul odors in restrooms. Splashed urine, acidic in nature, can mar the appearance of painted surfaces and partitions. It is not uncommon to see urine splatter and backsplash as far as 5 feet away or at eye level !

We inspect all risk areas in men’s and ladies’ restrooms closely with Blacklights and document them using long exposure photography.

Other areas - carpets for vomit/blood stains, parkades for urine, kitchens & basements for rodent excretions, etc. may be blacklight inspected if requested.

How Our Inspection  Will Help With Building Maintenance 

Since inspections will be done after hours after restrooms are cleaned and before they are being used, we will be able to pinpoint areas that are missed during cleaning.  It won’t be surprising to find some spots in restrooms which have not been “touched” for years even though they look perfectly clean in daylight.

The inspection report should be used as a constructive tool in providing assistance to your janitorial contractor in informing them of areas that need more attention. The fact that all these urine stains and backsplashes from toilets are not visible in daylight, creates a difficult cleaning challenge for custodial workers.  It might be the first time your they will be receiving any guidance on  “ invisible” problems in restrooms. Periodical inspections will help you see if there have been improvements in the cleanliness of the restrooms.

We guarantee results to show; if our UV inspection shows NO STAINS, there will be NO CHARGE ! 

What is a UltraViolet Germicidal Irradiation – The Science

Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by disrupting their DNA. UVGI is used in a variety of applications, such as food, air, surface and water purification. The HVAC system in your building may have one.

For the last 70 years, UVGI disinfection has been used primarily in medical sanitation and sterile work facilities. It is commonly used in disinfecting patient and surgical operations rooms in hospitals/care centres/ambulances as well as sterilizing the equipment used. Microbiology laboratories use UVGI biology safety cabinets to disinfect tools and equipment between uses.  Increasingly, UVGI disinfection has been employed to sterilize drinking/wastewater and has found renewed application in air purifiers. It is also one of the most efficient methods used by fruit and vegetable juice producers to maintain the FDA mandated 99.999% elimination of microorganisms. Boeing Corporation has recently unveiled a prototype self cleaning lavatory that zaps germs with UV light in airplane restrooms.

What Do We Use UVGI for in Buildings 

If you have previously used our Blacklight Inspection service, you will know how all restroom surfaces are contaminated with invisible microorganisms due to urine splatter, backsplash and toilet spray after flushing that can reach every corner of a restroom. We use UV Germicidial Irradiation to disinfect hard to clean surfaces in restrooms and eliminate/reduce pathogens. 

The Method 

Germicidal lamps set to emit UV light at 254 nanometer frequency are used for UVGI disinfection. Any surface the light reaches for a certain time is disinfected. The radiation times depend on the power of lamp, the distance and the percentage of disinfection needed.( 90%-99.999% ) Hospitals opt to use lamps with a power of several hundred watts to sterilize a 1000 square feet operation room in the shortest time possible where as a lamp of only several watts is likely to be enough for a disinfection cabinet in a laboratory.

There are formulas and charts for determining exposure times according to the power of lamps and the distance. A disinfection time of 20 minutes is generally accepted to be adequate using a 40W germicidal lamp to eliminate 99.9% of the germs at a distance of 8 feet radius (+/- 250 sq feet room ). We use several 36-40 W lamps spread around the restroom for 30 minutes to guarantee more than adequate light reaches every corner.

The lights operate with remote control and no one is allowed to enter the rooms during treatment ( and 20 minutes till after ) as exposure to UV light is hazardous for humans (pets & plants as well). The UV light in the restroom will be 20 to 100 times stronger than the UV light at noon in summer on a sunny beach meaning a few minute exposure without protection may cause skin burns and damage to eyes (mostly temporary). We therefore do the UVGI disinfection only after hours once the building is vacant.

We do not use ozone-producing 185 nanometer Germicidal lamps. Though more effective, the irradiated rooms can not be entered for 60 minutes after treatment using ozone-producing lamps.