Microphones are an important device for professionals in the music industry, they are used for recording sound, voices, instruments and also for live music shows to amplify the sound, therefore they go through thousands of hands in their useful life, so microphones can be contaminated and it may contain ample germs to spread infection.
Microphones are breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria and viruses, and if you share this equipment with others or carry it with you, you present a risk of cross-contamination. Especially during a pandemic, if it’s something you touch and breathe, it needs frequent sterilization. The touch of people can leave dirt and germs, leading to an increase in the risk of spreading viruses, it is important to keep a good cleaning and disinfecting routine on the surface of the mics to prevent this risk. A strong level of hygiene can reduce bacteria and germs and allow us to use mic safely.
How does contamination spread?
Mics are extremely close to your mouth, so when singing or speaking, there will be a high chance that your mic can capture your saliva at the outer layer, and maybe you can get a sneeze or cough while speaking in a mic so that increase the risk and breeding germs even virus like covid-19.
During a pandemic, we all learned that viruses can live for a long time on a surface which can or can not be dangerous but can be risky.
It is important to learn the difference between cleaning and disinfecting, remember that cleaning can be effective like scrubbing dirt out the surface, but disinfection is responsible for killing germs and leaving a blank ground where germs can’t breed.
How to disinfect mics?
The first thing you need to know is to avoid cleaning your mics and transmitters with these products:
- Products that contain bleach.
- Products that contain hydrogen peroxide.
- Hand sanitizer.
- Abrasive cleaning tools, such as scouring pads or brushes with hard bristles.
- Hot water. Lukewarm water will suffice.
- Don’t use isopropyl alcohol on plastic or acrylic parts; it can damage the material, creating little cracks and holes, and germs love little cracks and holes.
The safest way to disinfect your microphone is to use the right UV-C light like Li.LAC that disinfects through controlled exposure to ultraviolet light, it cycles takes only 5 to 10 minutes.
Studies have shown that disinfection inside can be up to 99.99% depending on the duration of the light exposure, and it has been approved by the independent, accredited laboratory Opsytec Dr. Gröbel GmbH.
The departments Biomedical Engineering and Medical Microbiology & Infection Prevention of the University Medical Center Groningen have done scientific studies to evaluate the effectiveness of Li.LAC. Viruses were sprayed onto microphones, similar to singing into the mic. The results show a reduction of 99.3% of the viral load on strongly contaminated microphones (including the metal grille and foam underneath) after 10 minutes of irradiation inside Li.LAC.
If you want to learn more about Li.LAC and how to keep your microphones disinfected, please visit our website for more information.
