Antivirus/bacteria UV light clothes dryer? We tested the Beko HygieneShield

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Content of the Beko DH 9532 GAO condenser dryer test:

What is UVC and why is it effective (or not)

Surely UVA and UVB from sunscreens sounds familiar to you. UVC is the shortest wave within the ultraviolet frequencies of light: radiation with a short wavelength between 100 and 280 nm.

This type of wave has greater power than UVA and UVB and, therefore, it takes less time to sterilize surfaces. In nature, UVC radiation is completely absorbed by the ozone layer.

There are studies that show that exposure to this type of radiation can kill certain types of bacteria and viruses. It is not a matter of seconds, but it is true that during a drying program of more than an hour, this UVC light bath together with the high drying temperature has a high percentage of effectiveness.

Here you can read the statement from the Government of Spain in which this effectiveness is recorded on even the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is also true that we quote:

"GUV (germicidal UV) in the UV-C range (200 nm–280 nm), mainly 254 nm, has been used successfully and safely for more than 70 years. However, GUV should be used competently and with due care as regards dosage and safety".

In fact, the Government, from the Ministry of Health, has insisted that the most effective measure for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections continues to be hand washing, protection with a mask, social distance, cleaning with detergents and disinfectants and the application of biocides authorized by the Ministry of Health.

As it is officially known, the COVID virus survives between 1 and 2 days on wooden, clothing or glass surfaces and up to more than four days on plastic, banknotes, surgical masks and stainless steel.

In other words, getting home and taking off your mask does not mean that you cannot get it from the clothes you are wearing and that is why there are these types of dryers and washer-dryers with programs with UV treatment.

In fact, Beko has launched a whole range of household appliances -the HygieneShield range- in which, in one way or another, UVC lights have been applied.

There are refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and even a microwave within this range of Beko.

How is the Beko HygieneShield UV dryer?

Aesthetically and externally or internally it does not vary much from what a normal washer / dryer has been. It is an appliance with standard measurements and with a large digital screen with touch controls, a control wheel to choose the different programs.

In the upper left part there is a drawer for the water extracted from the clothes. This dryer can be connected to a drain or be in a room without one, as long as that drawer is emptied.

What happens if enough water condenses to fill that tank? The machine notifies us when it reaches a certain level and stops the program if it has not been emptied before.

Once emptied, it resumes the program where it was going. In my personal case I have installed it on a terrace where I don't have a drain.

In the central part we have the door as a porthole, it is very large and it is a dryer that has a lot of capacity, up to 9 kg of clothes.

If we open that door we find a double air filter system in the form of a small plastic device that holds a grill as a frame.

In my particular case, with a cat at home, this basket system and that frame significantly filters all the hair and lint that the clothes have.

This filter is the product of three dryings. so you have to clean it with, at least that often, or the dryer loses efficiency.

And we come to the drum, the place where the dryer rotates the load while the hot air passes through it and detects its drying level.

So far the normal thing in a dryer of these characteristics, but... and where is it related to UV light?

Well, you are not going wrong because it is inside the drum where those UVC LEDs that light up during drying are.

We remember that ultraviolet light is outside our visible range, so don't expect the dryer to be a disco, although it is true that the light they use also has a part of light that we can see during use.

Here above we have left you a small video in which a camera, inside the dryer, does detect the ignition of that UV-C light that it has in the inner part of the drum, on the right side as you look at the dryer .

This light is different from the courtesy LEDs that come on when you start a program or open/close the drum.

Certainly we are dealing with a dryer with a huge drum and you can see that extra space, compared to a traditional washing machine, through which the clothes will be moving while that current of hot air passes to dry the clothes.

In terms of operation, the programs allow you to choose practically any type of clothes to dry and even has a quick-dry program that practically dries the laundry in less than an hour.

It does not have the same drying efficiency and the clothes do not come out as "ironed" as in more specific programs, but it does its job, without a doubt.

In any case, you always have the option of varying the determined programs, adding more or less time, or a finish with more or less ironing.

Here above we leave you a list of the available programs and the estimated times that, in addition, vary according to the weight of the laundry since it has a sensor with which it detects if the clothes are dry or not and thus way to end the program sooner or later.

During the use of the dryer, a maximum noise of 61 dB is generated, so it is not very noisy, something that can be further muffled with the night mode drying. You can really hear the noise of the clothes turning more than the actual operation of the machine.

Using UV programs

The dryer has two exclusive programs using UVC light. One is a full dry mode (2h55m) and another is a mode to refresh clothes (1h30m).

There is no difference in finish or drying compared to traditional programs in which the clothes are not bathed in that type of light during drying.

It is clear that the application of that light together with the high temperature of the drum for a long time is postulated as a clean zone in which viruses and bacteria are neutralized.

In our tests we have put clothes after changing the wardrobe to refresh them and that smell of stored clothes has been eliminated without having to go through the washing machine.

In fact, if you come from the street with certain clothes that you have on, a sweater, cotton t-shirts and they are not dirty, the refreshing program is optimal, fulfilling the double function of aerating and disinfecting it.

The UV drying program is the one I have used during this pandemic time to dry clothes after they come out of the washing machine. The drying time is very long, but the clothes come out completely dry and without wrinkles, few clothes need to go through the iron.

Energy consumption with UV washes: within the top line of dryers

Something that worries the end user, and more in these times of historical peaks in the price of electricity, is the energy consumption of the devices that we put at home.

Just like how much it costs to put a washing machine in the different time slots, we wanted to do the exercise with a UV drying mode for a laundry of about 8 kg.

The time of use has been 2 h 25 min and a total of 0.981 kWh have been spent with a peak consumption of around 503W.

Calculating numbers with current electricity prices at all-time highs (€0.327/kWh peak price | €0.19/kWh valley price) we conclude that drying an 8Kg laundry with the UV drying program has a cost roughly between 0.44 euros and 0.77 euros for UV drying.

Beko comments that the program that consumes the most is drying cotton with a maximum power or consumption of up to 1,620 W with a full load of 9 kg and 870W at half load.

Even so, it is a condenser dryer with an A+++ rating, that is, one of the most efficient in consumption, with the added bonus of that UV light.

And, as we can see, it is not an exaggerated price for an 8 kg laundry to dry, something that is appreciated compared to solutions such as ironing dummies.

Conclusions: Very complete dryer with a plus

If you are one of those looking for a dryer for home, there are many options on the market. They range from portable designs for just over 50 euros to models that double as a washer and dryer.

Beko has taken a step forward in the midst of the pandemic by adding a plus to the competition of condenser dryers with the same capacity and similar functionalities.

UV-C disinfection also eliminates bad odors produced by bacteria and also kills viruses as scientifically proven.

It can be obtained for a price of between 450 and 550 euros depending on where we buy it. It is not an unreasonable price if we do a market study and it is one of the few brands that offer this extra disinfection.