| The ultraviolet flashlight can be very useful and used | | | | darkened room. (Darkening the room will allow you to |
| for a wide variety of purposes. | | | | see the contrast of the fluorescence better as will |
| There are several professions that use UV | | | | orange tinted glasses). Also check out the bedspread, |
| (blacklights) to get work done. For example air | | | | sheets and the remote control and doorknobs. You |
| conditioning repairman and automobile repair, primarily | | | | cannot avoid touching these things so you should find |
| radiator and a/c repair. They inject an liquid ultraviolet | | | | out if its safe to do so. You will soon learn to do this |
| dye into the system and use the uv flashlight to find | | | | first thing after checking in and bring some disposable |
| any leaks. The dye will fluoresce (glow) in the | | | | alcohol wipes with you. In a similar vein, UV light is |
| presence of the uv light making the leak easy to spot. | | | | useful in detecting pet stains both old or new. By |
| Police forensics specialists also use UV light to identify | | | | knowing the extent of the stain you can do a better |
| substances (like bodily fluids) and take fingerprints. | | | | job of cleaning it completely. |
| Some of these operations require another chemical to | | | | Now, what kind of blacklight is best for your purpose? |
| make the item fluoresce. Others, like counterfeit bill or | | | | For most consumer needs the flashlight design using |
| ID detection can be done with just the light. By shining | | | | leds for the light source will prove to be most reliable |
| the UV light on a $20 bill for example you can see the | | | | and convenient. The leds last almost forever and draw |
| inset authenticity strip inside the bill. | | | | less power making your batteries go farther. |
| Consumer uses include scorpion hunting (the little devils | | | | Safety considerations: The uv lights with an output in |
| glow brightly at night when under a UV light) and | | | | the 395nM (nanometer) range or higher will usually not |
| sanitation. If you travel, you might like to check out the | | | | require any ancillary safety equipment as this is |
| bathroom of the hotel or motel where you stay. | | | | considered long wave radiation and not dangerous for |
| Human waste like urine will fluoresce and if its not | | | | occasional use. Of course, you should not stare directly |
| cleaned up properly, you'll easily be able to see it in a | | | | into the light for any length of time. |