Summer Travel- Where You Can Go, and How To Stay Germ-Free

As the United States starts to open up again, on the top of a lot of peoples’ minds is a well-earned summer vacation. Yes, after more than a year of restrictions and avoidance, many of us are ready to board a plane, stay in a hotel, and spend some time on self-care and relaxation once again.

However, COVID travel restrictions can add a new layer of complexity to our summer vacations. And, now that we are more aware of just how many things are covered in germs, some of us may have additional concerns as we return to traveling.

Connect-UV took the time to research summer travel, to save you time and worry!

ARE COVID TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS STILL IN PLACE?

Restrictions are changing rapidly based on vaccination rates and active COVID cases. It is best to check restrictions on your desired destination before you book and be familiar with what will be required of you. Unexpected closures of popular tourist destinations can be a big disappointment and one that can be avoided by a little research.

Domestic travel is much easier right now than international travel. There are a lot of amazing destinations within the United States for those longing to explore somewhere new. American territories are excluded from testing requirements for American travelers, making them a great option for families looking to travel somewhere tropical. National Parks and destinations like Disneyworld are also popular for their outside nature and easy ability to distance themselves from other travelers, but you can expect long lines and delays are many of these places as Americans scratch that travel itch. You can use this Travel Planner offered by the CDC to check on restrictions before you travel to another state. Or, you can visit your state’s tourism bureau to learn about exciting travel opportunities close to home.

If an international trip is on your mind, COVID-19 testing is required for everyone entering the United States, even American citizens returning from vacation. Additionally, many countries are closed to travel, require testing prior to arrival, or quarantine after arrival. These restrictions are changing. The EU recently announced that it will be reopening this summer, although when exactly that is happening is not known at the time of writing.

Some countries, like Mexico, Costa Rica and Greece require visitors to fill out a COVID information form before traveling. Other countries, such as Japan and Iceland have travel restrictions for visitors who have been to COVID hot spots. Many countries, such as Australia, are closed for international travel at this time. Some potential destinations, like India and Brazil, currently have widespread COVID infections, and while Americans are not barred from traveling here, the US is advising caution, even for fully vaccinated people, due to the severity of the outbreaks.

This map provided by IATA Travel is a great starting place to identify country travel restrictions.

HOW TO TRAVEL SAFELY:

The CDC currently recommends waiting until you are fully vaccinated before traveling, which means that two weeks have passed since your last COVID vaccine dose. If you are not fully vaccinated, the CDC recommends getting a viral test before you travel, wearing a mask, distancing from others, and testing/quarantining when you return home for the utmost safety.

Most hotel chains have updated cleaning protocols for added protection during COVID, however, some of those protocols are relaxing, and many of them are unable to stay on top of the top sources of germs in hotels, such as elevator buttons and stairwell door handles. A study done in the middle of 2020 found that the average hotel elevator button has 1,477 times more germs than a household bathroom door handle! After selecting your floor, you touch the top of your suitcase, your phone, your key card, the remote to your room’s tv…

Even if you are fully vaccinated for COVID, some of these germs can be harmful. E. coli is commonly found on hotel remotes from previous guests who didn’t wash their hands after using the restroom. Gross! There are also other viruses like influenza, which can be hurled across a hotel room with a sneeze by a previous guest.

The Connect-UV Multi-Function Sanitizing Station is the perfect travel accessory to ensure your key card, remote, phone, and car keys are clean of germs commonly found during travel. I set mine up as soon as I check in, and immediately sanitize my items, then sanitize again upon returning to the room. For those surfaces that don’t fit inside the station, antibacterial wipes on commonly touched surfaces remain a good best practice at check in.

PROTECTING YOURSELF FINANCIALLY

Aside from keeping yourself healthy, COVID can also wreak havoc on your wallet. Travel insurance with COVID-19 are required by some nations, and can be a huge help if your trip is canceled due to illness or outbreak, or if you get ill while abroad. Forbes recently released a guide to the best pandemic travel insurance. You may also want to invest in refundable plane tickets/lodging or to book with companies that make changing travel plans easy. Nerd Wallet’s guide for COVID cancellation and change fees can help you decide who to fly with.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s been a long year and a half. We all need and deserve a break. However, unanticipated hurdles and illness can spoil any vacation! Make sure your first post-pandemic vacation is a success with a little extra preparation will allow for better relaxation once you get to your destination.

CONNECT-UV OUTFITS HIGH SCHOOL WITH UV-C SANITIZING CHARGING CARTS

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ—May 26, 2021 – Kids, electronics, and germs are almost an unavoidable combination. With the COVID vaccines not yet approved for children under the age of 12, and the Biden Administration and CDC urging schools to reopen, schools across the nation are trying to find ways to ensure safety and cleanliness on campus. One way a high school in Greenville, North Carolina is working to ensure safety is through six new UV-C sanitizing charging carts.

“The school came to us with a need to replace their aging charging carts that no longer fit the school’s needs. When they learned Connect-UV’s charging carts not only charge, but also kill germs and bacteria, the school leaped at the opportunity to incorporate UV-C technology into their charging needs.” Said Tom Mitchell, executive director of strategy and business development for Connect-UV.

Connect-UV charging carts can charge and sanitize up to 40 devices at a time. With a locking door equipped with an auto-off switch, the carts ensure that devices are sanitized safely, without risk of theft, or unintended exposure to the UV-C lights if the door is opened during a sanitation cycle. The carts clean for 5 or 10 minutes and kill up to 99% of microorganisms within 10 minutes using safe and effective UV-C light. Additionally, the carts are on casters, have serge protection, and come with a variety of charging adaptors.

Connect-UV charging carts are designed for phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and other common items. The carts are customizable to ensure that students’ phones and school electronics are always cleaned, charged, and safely stored.

ABOUT CONNECT-UV: Connect-UV is a woman-owned business located in Scottsdale Ariz. The Company sells UV-C Sterilizing equipment for home and business use ranging from cell-phone-sized sanitizers to charging carts and lockers. The company is also unveiling new UV-C Air Purifiers that can clean 500 or 1,200sqft, respectively, this summer.

To receive a quote on UV-C products for your school or business, contact Tom Mitchell at (941) 704-1888 or email him at Tom@ConnectUV.com

UV-C Can Help Schools ReOpen Safely

The United States is focused on getting kids back to in-person school for fall. Parents know that the pandemic has been hard on lots of kids. The loss of social interaction and the stress of online school can be hard to balance with the desire to keep kids, teachers, and families safe. But UV-C can help schools reopen safely.

COVID infections have not been as serious in children as in adults, however, as more adults get vaccinated, children are making up a much larger number of COVID cases. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics earlier in May, children now make up 22% of COVID cases in the United States, up from just 3% this time last year! This means that in one week in April, 71,649 children tested positive for COVID. In total, 3.7 million children have contracted COVID. While death from COVID in children remains extremely rare, some children are experiencing long-term impacts from the illness, or infecting adults who are not as resilient against the virus.

This shift in cases is making it more important for schools to ensure they are operating safely for students, as well as staff and families. Thankfully, there are several ways to ensure safety with in-person learning.

The gold standard of safety thus far has been extensive cleaning of commonly touched surfaces and masking. But will schools have the will or the resources to keep this up? And what about the air?

Luckily, passive ultraviolet light can be used to keep surfaces and air clean without as much work as chemical solutions, without the ongoing costs associated with having to supply these cleaning products, and without the potentially toxic chemicals.

How does UV-C Work?

Ultraviolet C, or UV-C light is naturally produced by the sun, but it is filtered out by the atmosphere and doesn’t make it to the surface. Which is a good thing because this short-wavelength light is extremely effective at destroying microorganisms. The light breaks the DNA of germs, bacteria, and viruses. This renders the microorganism unable to infect or reproduce, thus neutralizing the threat.

What does UV-C Clean?

UV-C sterilization has been used in water treatment facilities for decades. Just recently, with the advent of LED UV-C lights has the wavelength been able to make it into products designed to clean surfaces and the air. A study by the University of California, Santa Barbara found that ultraviolet LEDs can destroy the SARs-CoV-2/COVID/Coronavirus.

How can UV-C Help Schools?

UV-C can be used in several different applications to clean surfaces and the air in academic settings. The most practical uses for schools are:

Charging Carts: Chromebooks, tablets, keyboards, and cell phones are among the dirtiest things in schools. Cell phones are often dirtier than doorknobs, or even toilet seats, yet they are sanitized far less often. If a student is touching their cell phone, then moves to a school-issued electronic, those germs can move with the student.

The solution to this contamination risk is a UV-C charging cart. Connect UV’s Charging Carts are fully customizable and can fit between 10-40 electronics, depending on configuration and item size. The carts come equipped with surge protection, locks, casters, charging cables, and auto-off safety to ensure no one is accidentally exposed to UV-C light. The best part? They only cost 20-25% more than non-sterilizing charging carts!

Whole room surface sanitation: your janitorial staff knows that wiping down all surfaces is time-consuming or even not possible. Thankfully, there are UV solutions that can save staff time, and reduce their exposure to potentially harmful microorganisms. There are several options available that utilize high-power UV-C lights, however, the best option for most schools is the tripod-style light unit. With delayed start and remote control, this is a true “set it and forget it” solution for janitorial staff.

The tripod can be placed in the next room to be cleaned and turned on, emitting a powerful light to neutralize germs as the janitor cleans the room sanitized last. Once done, the tripod is moved to the next room, and the newly sanitized room is cleaned by staff who know the air they are breathing and the surfaces they are touching have been sanitized.

Air purification: many germs are transferred through droplets that can stay suspended in the air for hours! HEPA filters remove many of these potentially dangerous viruses and bacteria particles, but HEPA filters require changing, where they can expose janitorial staff to potential illness and infection. Our solution is a clear winner. We pair the filtration power of HEPA filtration with UV-light sanitation. Positioned on either side of the filter, this ensures that microorganisms in the air are destroyed, purifying the air within classrooms, and protecting janitorial staff.

Want to know more about how UV- C light can help your students and staff stay safe? View out Education Solutions here, and contact Tom for a custom sales proposal at Tom@ConnectUV.com.

Teacher and Nurse Appreciation

Two of the biggest groups of heroes during this pandemic year have been teachers and nurses. These front-line workers have put their lives on the line for us to ensure that we could stay safe, healthy, and educated. Every year in Early May we celebrate Teacher and Nurse Appreciation. Teacher Appreciation Day is Tuesday, May 4^th and Nurse Appreciation Day is Thursday, May 6^th. These days are part of greater Teacher Appreciation Week from May 3-7 and Nurse Appreciation Week is May 6-12. This period is marked with discounts at stores and restaurants for nurses and teachers, presents from students, patients and employers, and a general sense of appreciation that may be missed for the rest of the year (although we should work to change that!).

After the past 14 months, one week doesn’t seem like enough for these two groups of hard-working professionals who do so much for us in our day-to-day lives. Teachers have bent over backward to transition to online learning. In addition to educating our kids, they became tech support, had to find unique ways to continue to engage kids in virtual learning, and were a lifeline through the stress and panic of COVID. Nurses have provided us with consistent care, whether we were going in for our annual exam, or one of our loved ones was in the ICU with COVID.

All professionals deserve to work in an environment that is safe for them. And today, that means being safe from germs. As we try to emerge from the COVID-pandemic, is there any way to say “I appreciate you” to teachers and nurses better than providing a way to sanitize personal items, tablets, phones, and the air with chemical-free, non-toxic UV-C light?

Connect-UV is proud to offer solutions that can help schools and medical facilities ensure personal safety through UV-C sanitation. After Connect-UV donated to a fundraiser for the Lakewood Ranch High School in Manatee County, Florida, the school decided to gift all 200 of their teachers and staff with a Connect-UV multi-function sanitizing station for Teacher Appreciation Day. These sanitizing stations will ensure that teachers’ masks, keys, phones and other personal items are germ-free as they return to in-person learning.

We are thankful that our education and medical partners recognize the benefits of clean, safe and effective UV-C.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day, Nurses Appreciation Day, Teacher Appreciation Week and Nurses Appreciation Week from all of us at Connect-UV.

5 Ways to Reduce Toxic Chemicals Around the House

Spring is a celebration of life and renewal. Every year around this time, leaves and flowers return to the trees, bulbs erupt from the soil, grass again becomes green. We begin to come out of our winter hibernation, open the windows, get outside, and enjoy the life around us. The return of warm weather is also the start of the traditional spring-cleaning season. But why is spring cleaning synonymous with putting on your heavy-duty gloves and scrubbing your house? It should be the perfect opportunity to reduce toxic chemicals!

green cleaning

In addition to its connection to cleaning, spring is also a time to celebrate nature. Earth Day on April 20th, being the most famous celebration. It is a day when people aim to reduce their impact or improve their natural environment. Typically, Earth Day is filled with local clean-up events and opportunities for us to do better. But how to “do better” can be overwhelming. There are so many ways that we can reduce our impact—walk more, find products with less packaging, maybe eat less meat. There’s a good way to tie in your spring cleaning with the goal of doing something good for the earth, and yourself—use fewer chemicals while you clean.

Many cleaning products are toxic. Bleach and ammonia-based products can damage the skin, make eyes and nose burn, and if accidentally mixed, cause a dangerous chlorine gas! And these aren’t the only toxic chemicals in cleaning products. Many multi-purpose cleaners include 2-butoxyethanol, and extended exposure can cause liver and kidney damage. Other heavy-duty cleaners can include formaldehyde, perchloroethylene or sodium hydroxide. These chemicals can cause burning sensation in the throat or skin, damage the nervous system, headaches, insomnia, irritability, and even cause trouble with concentration.

You don’t necessarily need long, extended exposure to feel these impacts. I’m sure most of us have felt the sting in our nose while using a cleaning product or noticed that our hands feel dry and raw after cleaning. This isn’t your imagination! These products clean, polish, disinfect, and remove stubborn stains with toxic chemicals.

Thankfully, we can reduce harmful chemicals when we clean. There are many natural alternatives that can deliver similar or even better results!

Replace Ammonia with Vinegar

vinegar window cleaning Vinegar is an acid, with a PH of 2.5 is it very good at removing water and rust spots, making it great for cleaning glass and mirrors. Ammonia is also hailed for its ability to clean glass, however, ammonia is corrosive and needs plenty of ventilation as well as gloves and a mask to use safely. Meanwhile, vinegar is so mild you can consume it! Although, it helps to flavor your vinegar with other ingredients like oil and spices (in the case of an oil and vinegar salad dressing) to improve the taste.

Nontoxic window and mirror cleaner recipe:

5 parts water
5 parts white vinegar
1 squirt of liquid dish soap or castile soap (optional- helps with stubborn grime)
Mix together in a spray bottle
Spray and wipe with a reusable cloth

Replace Multi-Surface Cleaner with Castile Soap

dr bronners soap Castile soap has long been used for everything from shampoo to floor cleaner. And it still works well at many of these duties. The gentle soap is made from all-natural ingredients such as coconut and hemp oils. Because it doesn’t have harsh surfactants it doesn’t suds up as it cleans, which can make cleaning surfaces like countertops easier than those bubbly toxic cleaners.

What’s more, many of these soaps come in plant-based bottles, and from companies with sustainable missions, such as Dr. Bronner who has been making soap since 1858!

Nontoxic multi-surface cleaner:

¼ cup of Castile soap
1 quart of water
5 drops of your favorite essential oil (lemon or orange for a fresh scent, tea tree for germ-killing)
Mix together in a spray or squirt bottle
Gently swirl or turn the bottle upside down to fully mix
Spray and wipe with a damp cloth (for stubborn grease and grime, let the cleaner sit for a few minutes before wiping up)

Replace Drain Cleaner with Baking Soda and Vinegar

sink drain Who remembers making a volcano as a child with these simple ingredients? This natural expansive foaming comes down to the ph differences between baking soda and vinegar. Baking soda is alkaline, with a ph of 8, white vinegar is an acid with a ph of 2.5. Mixed together, the vinegar dissolves the baking soda, creating a powerful cleaning mixture. Baking soda and vinegar is a great way to get stains out of upholstery or carpet or to unclog drains.

Non-Toxic Drain Cleaner

1. Pour boiling water down the clogged drain.

2. Pour a cup of baking soda into the drain followed by 1 cup of vinegar.

3. Cover the drain to keep in the reaction and wait 5-10 minutes.

4. Uncover and pour more hot water down the drain.

If the drain is still slow, repeat the method until it drains correctly. You can also add dish soap to the boiling water for better grease dissolving power if you need more oomph than just baking soda and vinegar can provide.

Replace Clorox Wipes with UV-C

Multi Function sanitizing station While our bleachy Clorox wipes may claim to kill 99% of germs and bacteria, Connect-UV has found this claim to be quite misleading. Using a medical-grade Hygina testing meter, we found that a Clorox wipe really kills more like 40-50% of germs.

What is more, these toxic wipes should not be used on anything that goes near the face or mouth (i.e. pacifiers or masks) and the liquid can damage sensitive electronics such as tablets and phones.

UV-C light or ultraviolet-c light is naturally made by the sun, however, our atmosphere filters most of it out. This powerful shortwave light destroys the DNA of microorganisms such as germs, bacteria, and viruses chemical-free, making it a great way to reduce toxic chemicals!

UV-C light devices, such as the Connect-UV All-In-One Sanitizing Station, uses powerful UV-C lights to kill virtually all germs and bacteria in as little as 59 seconds! The box is big enough to fit cell phones, car keys, masks, makeup brushes, watches, earbuds, jewelry, pacifiers and small toys. Its magnetic sealed lid has an auto-off function, so if you open the box before it is done cleaning the lights will turn off, to protect your eyes, making it safe to use around children.

Additionally, the All-In-One-Sanitizing Station includes an aromatherapy diffuser, allowing you to scent your items with calming lavender or the essential oil of your choice (can you imagine a freshly sanitized eye mask with lavender essential oil to put on before bed? The box also supports wireless charging on newer phones equipped with the technology.

Replace Dryer Sheets with Wool Balls

Do you have a pesky rash that just won’t go away? Red bumps or itchy, irritated skin could be a reaction to your laundry cleaning products. There are many natural laundry detergents on the market now that can help soothe your skin. But don’t forget about your dryer sheets! These floral sheets contain many unnatural chemicals to produce their strong smell or provide the anti-cling we all use them for. Thankfully, wool dryer balls are an excellent replacement.

Produced from sheep wool, these balls are sustainable and renewable. The animal’s fluffy wool grows back each year and without sheering, the animals could suffer from overheating or infection. Wool has many helpful uses in our lives, due to its natural water and germ repelling qualities. It is also great at helping clothes dry faster and with less cling. Two to four dryer balls work best for most loads of laundry.

Are you worried that you’ll miss the scent of your favorite dryer sheet? Try putting a few drops of your favorite essential oil on the wool dryer balls before throwing them in. Add lavender on balls when you dry your sheets or pajamas for a relaxing bedtime escape or use grapefruit or orange on your exercise clothes to give you more energy.

Not only are these simple solutions non-toxic, they also can save you money over their chemical alternatives, can reduce waste, and leave your home healthier, and happier, with fewer unnatural scents to create headaches or dry your skin. Who knew it could be so easy to reduce toxic chemicals!

What ways have you reduced your chemical use around the house? Share with us on our Facebook page!

nic brown on try it with tess on good morning arizona

Good Morning Arizona Features Connect-UV Charging Carts

Good Morning Arizona on AZ Family Channel 3 recently interviewed Connect-UV Founder Nic Brown on his UV-C company. Tess Rafols “Try It With Tess” interviewed Nic about what it is like to be a teen entrepreneur and his donation of three Connect-UV Charging Carts to his high school.

nic brown on try it with tess on good morning arizona

“When the pandemic hit we all became so uncomfortably aware of just how dirty everything is, in particular our phones.” Nic shared with Tess.

Long before the pandemic, Nic realized that ultra-violet light, particularly UV-C could be used to clean everyday items. When he started his first company, Dr. Shine My Ride, at the age of 13, Nic was looking for new, nontoxic ways to sanitize vehicle interiors. At that point in time, he learned about UV-C, however, the technology was not readily available for applications such as cellphone or vehicle interior sanitation. Instead, Nic chose to sanitize interiors with chemical-free steam.

Later, Nic saw a cell phone charging station at a Nordstrom and it was as if a UV-light bulb went off. What a perfect application for his idea!

“You should be able to clean your phone while it charges, it just makes sense.”

cell phone holder for classroom As a junior at Notre Dame Prep, Nic knows how connected teens (and everyone else) is with our devices. As part of his everyday routine, Nic drops his phone into a holder upon entering a classroom. This holder (like the one pictured to the left) helps students pay attention in class. Nic also saw this as an excellent opportunity to reduce germs in the classroom.

“I was putting my germ-covered phone in a pocket that had another student’s germ-covered phone in it before me, and so on and so on. It just didn’t seem sanitary or safe.” Nic says.

Nic’s solution is simple and accessible for schools across the United States. The Connect-UV charging carts accomplish the need to separate phones from kids during class, while also providing a concentrated dose of UV-C to kill harmful germs and bacteria on devices. The carts can also be used for tablets, laptops, battery packs, keyboards, pagers used at restaurants, or a variety of other devices that are frequently touched. The short-wavelength UV-C can kill up to 99% of germs and bacteria in as little as five minutes. All chemical-free.

“As a Junior at Notre Dame Prep, I am super fortunate to attend such a great school. I wanted to give back by donating three of our commercial-grade charging carts as well as 50 of our multi-function sanitizing stations to teachers and faculty to help them reopen safely.”

The multi-function sanitizing stations are small enough for home use. They can hold items such as cell phones, masks, keys, and sunglasses, sanitizing these items in as little as 60 seconds!

You can watch Nic’s interview with Tess Rafols here.

Learn more about Connect-UV’s UV-C Sanitizing Charging Carts. Or connect Tom Mitchell at Tom@ConnectUV.com for a custom quote for your business or school’s needs.

Teen entrepreneur’s business busts germs

Nic Brown is only 17 and already owns two businesses.

Even before he turned 17 on Feb. 24, Notre Dame Prep junior Nic Brown could add “entrepreneur” to his early resume.

He already had a car-detailing business and from that has come up with a company that fights germs.

His company, Connect UV sells products that rely on powerful microbe-killing UV-C light.

UV-C light is naturally occurring shortwave light created by the sun, that is filtered by the atmosphere before it can reach the earth. According to the FDA, this powerful light destroys the DNA in microorganisms, including viruses and bacteria, rendering the agents unable to reproduce or infect.

“I first discovered UV-C light when I was researching cleaning methods for my car detailing company,” Nic said. “When COVID hit, I realized that I was in a position to help solve the problem of harmful germs on day-to-day items. And Connect UV was born.”

The whole idea behind Connect UV is for people to connect, clean and charge.

“While mobile devices are stored in Connect UV sterilizing charging carts, my hope is that people will connect with each other instead of staring at the phones, and their phones will get sanitized and charged at the same time,” he said.

Nic donated three industrial UV sanitizing carts and 12 desktop units to Notre Dame Prep on his birthday.

“What a great testimony to the faith of our school, that Nic would give back to Notre Dame Prep on his birthday,” said Lisa Johnston, NDP finance director.

“We also encourage our students to be innovative thinkers and leaders. We are very proud of Nic’s entrepreneurial spirit and our ability to share his hard work with others,” she added.

Notre Dame Prep has taken many safety measures to remain open for in-person learning since Sept. 8.

“Nic’s generous gift provides us with another means for reducing the spread of viruses,” Johnston said, noting his devices sanitize other items such as keys, masks and glasses.

When Nic entered Notre Dame Prep as a freshman, he was enrolled in the school’s Gonzaga Program for students with academic promise but need a little help acclimating to its rigorous college preparatory curriculum.

“I was really struggling at first, but the Gonzaga Program and my teachers helped me get caught up and I’m so grateful for that,” he said.

Now Nic has matriculated into honors and AP classes and has excelled in entrepreneur class and personal finance.

“Without the Gonzaga Program, I would not be where I am today,” he added.

“I’ve always been inspired by great entrepreneurs,” he said. “I’m always thinking of the next thing.”

Connect UV sells products ranging from sanitizing lamps and boxes for home use, to large charging lockers and carts for school and business use. The company’s mission is to allow people to charge, clean and connect safely and easily.

Connect UV Donates Three UV-C Sterilizing Charging Carts to Notre Dame Preparatory High School

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. March 2, 2021 – If COVID has taught us anything this last year, it is just how many germs are around us. Teen entrepreneur Nic Brown, a junior at Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, thought there had to be a way to keep personal devices clean without harmful chemicals. His solution—powerful microbe killing UV-C light.

“I first discovered UV-C light when I was researching cleaning methods for my car detailing company,” said Brown, “When COVID hit, I realized that I was in a position to help solve the problem of harmful germs on every day items. And Connect-UV was born.”

The concept behind Connect-UV is for people to connect, clean and charge. “While mobile devices are stored in Connect-UV sterilizing charging carts, my hope is that people will connect with each other instead of staring at the phones, and their phones will get sanitized and charged at the same time,” Brown said. In addition to cell phones and tablets, the units will sanitize other items such as keys, masks, and glasses.

Brown donated three industrial UV-C sanitizing carts and 12 desktop units to his school on Feb. 24, which just happened to be his 17th birthday.

“What a great testimony to the faith of our school, that Nic would give back to Notre Dame Prep on his birthday,” said Lisa Johnston, NDP finance director. “We also encourage our students to be innovative thinkers and leaders. We are very proud of Nic’s entrepreneurial spirit and our ability to share his hard work with others,” she added.

Notre Dame Prep has taken many safety measures to remain open for in-person learning since Sept. 8, 2020. “We are committed to keeping our staff and students safe during and after the COVID pandemic,” Johnston said. “Nic’s generous gift provides us with another means for reducing the spread of viruses.”

Connect-UV sells products ranging from sanitizing lamps and boxes for home use, to large charging lockers and carts for school and business use. The company’s mission is to allow people to charge, clean and connect safely and easily. “I’ve always been inspired by great entrepreneurs,” he said. “I’m always thinking of the next thing.”

UV-C light is naturally occurring shortwave light created by the sun that is filtered by the atmosphere before it can reach the earth. According to the FDA, this powerful light destroys the DNA in microorganisms, including viruses and bacteria, rendering the agents unable to reproduce or infect. For more information about Connect-UV, visit connectuv.com.

uv-c

How does UV-C Work?

What does UV-C Clean?

How can UV-C Help Schools?

Teen entrepreneur’s business busts germs