simplehuman cleanstation review

You might not have been a germophobe before 2020, but after the pandemic, you’re probably a bit more conscious of germs. The realistic number of germs on some of your household items is staggering. Your toilet is covered in germs, but you probably already knew that. Your doorbell, doorknob, thermostat, faucets, and more are all incredibly dirty. It’s hard to keep track of where all the germs could be — but one place they are, without a doubt, is on your phone.

Think about how much your phone is in your hand during the day. If it’s not in your hand, it may be resting on a countertop or table, which also has its fair share of germs. If it’s in a purse or pocket, there are germs in there, too. Humans touch their phone on average 2,617 times per day, which presents an abundance of opportunities to dirty it up. Luckily, there are devices like the simplehuman cleanstation to help you mitigate your germ problem. At least on your phone, that is.

The simplehuman cleanstation is a UV sanitizing machine that sanitizes your phone in as little as 30 seconds. It’s one of the fastest UV sanitizers on the market and uses incredibly powerful UV-C light to kill any germs on your phone. I’ve been testing it, and though I have some mixed feelings, it’s undoubtedly pretty cool. Here are more of my thoughts on the cleanstation by simplehuman.

Recommended

Simplehuman Cleanstation

The Simplehuman Clean Station sanitizes phones in 30 seconds. Ideally placed next to a sink to clean your phone while you wash your hands, this automatically ejects your phone when it’s done. It fits phones up to 6.5″ x 3.3″ x 0.5″ or as big as an iPhone 15 Pro Max with a slim case on it.

Pros

• Works quickly
• Sleek design
• Lightweight

Cons

• Unsure how well it really works
• Shows fingerprints

Price, specs, and availability

It’s pricier than you might think

The simplehuman cleanstation retails for $200. It can be purchased from simplehuman’s website or found at major retailers like Walmart or Target, though it isn’t available on Amazon right now. It’s incredibly lightweight, which is uncommon for a UV sanitizing device — most of them are bulky and difficult to find space for on countertops. But this one offers a sleek design that’s rather thin and easy to place around the house.

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It comes in four different finishes: brushed, slate, matte silver, and white. Each option is made from stainless steel, and I have the brushed finish option at my home. It comes with an AC power cord, as it must be plugged into an outlet to work. The simplehuman cleanstation works with devices up to 6.5″ x 3.3″ x 0.5″. That means an iPhone 15 Pro Max with a slim case would be compatible.

What I like about the simplehuman cleanstation

Santization at the speed of (UV-C) light

When you take the simplehuman cleanstation out of the box, you realize just how skinny the design is. While its slimness is the first thing to catch your eye, it’s also lightweight which makes it easy to pick up and move around. It comes with a long AC cable, so you’ve got an abundance of options placement-wise.

The instructions are minimal, which is actually fine because it’s a one-use-and-one-use-only device. If you go to the listing on simplehuman’s website, it even recommends placing it near your sink so you can clean your phone while you wash your hands, which typically should take you 30 seconds (again, using the cleanstation really doesn’t take long at all).

After you plug it in, the lights at the top of the device light up to let you know that it’s powered on. All you need to do is put your phone into the door compartment at the top — the door flaps are made from laser-cut foam composite that keeps UV-C light from escaping. On the inside of the cleanstation are 30 UV-C LED lights that are strong enough to kill 99.9% of germs on your phone, according to the manufacturer.

As you lower your phone into the doors, the cleanstation grabs hold of it and brings it the rest of the way into the device. The lights flash again to let you know that it’s working, which was helpful because of how silent the cleaning process is. 30 seconds later, it makes a lovely chime that lets you know that it is finished. Right after that, the phone will begin to rise up and out, which means it’s clean and ready to be received by you. Overall, it’s just a very fun process that I enjoy every time I put my phone in.

What’s also nice is how it will let you know if your phone is too big to fit. I have an iPhone 13 with a simple clear case on it and the phone fits with no problems. However, my wife has an iPhone 14 with a thicker case which the machine wouldn’t take. As it started to lower it into the machine and realized that it wouldn’t fit, the lights flashed, its chime sounded, and it raised the phone back up again.

What I don’t like about the simplehuman cleanstation

It takes a lot of faith

How much do you really know about what’s going on inside the simplehuman cleanstation? You can’t see inside the machine, so you just have to take its word for the quality of the clean. It’s not scrubbing your phone — it’s zapping germs off, but it’s the kind of cleanliness you can’t actually see. While I have no reason to doubt simplehuman and its light technology, there’s a little bit of uncertainty that creeps in. For a $200 price tag, you want to be sure you’re getting something that works great. I’m just a little skeptical.

Also, from the cosmetic side, the brushed finish shows fingerprints very visibly.

Should you buy the simplehuman cleanstation?

If you believe in it, yes

The simplehuman cleanstation’s functionality is terrific. It’s quick, sleek, and ideal to have near a sink to clean your phone while you wash your hands. The opaque finish doesn’t let you actually see what’s going on inside, which may pose a concern to non-believers. That being said, it’s a fun gadget to use and a great way to mitigate your germ exposure.

Recommended

Simplehuman Clean Station