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Top 8 Uses of a UV Flashlight

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Top 8 Uses of a UV Flashlight

July 6, 2022

Top 8 Uses of a UV Flashlight
  1. Counterfeit Detection: UV flashlights increase your level of protection against counterfeit cash, and also enable you to authenticate documents and IDs. Genuine United States bills $5 and up have a hidden security strip that can be exposed by a UV light. Testing for UV strips works well to detect bleached bills that can fool classic counterfeit detector pens. UV flashlights can also reveal hidden security features in government issued IDs such as licenses or passports. Traveling abroad? Many international currencies also have hidden UV security features.
  2. Locating Pet Stains: Got pets? Ever ask yourself the question, where’s that smell coming from? UV flashlights can reveal urine stains caused by all household pets. So next time you’re cleaning give your floors and furniture a quick scan to locate all hidden stains.
  3. Auto Leak Detector: Have a refrigerant leak in your car’s air conditioning compressor? Is your car leaking motor oil, gasoline, power steering, transmission, or brake fluids? A few drops of florescent leak detector dye combined with a UV flashlight can easily detect leaks and save you a lot of time and money.
  4. Bed Bug Detector: Nothing is grosser than a bed bug. Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed on human blood and can cause skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptoms. Bed bugs prefer to dwell in cool, dark, and high-density areas so they are typically found within mattresses – giving them their signature name. Bed bugs are also commonly found in hotel rooms, airplane seats, dormitories, and carpets. By using a UV flashlight, you can detect bed bug droppings or eggs and avoid bringing them home with you.
  5. Checking for Hotel Cleanliness: Building on the idea of gross stuff that can be found in hotel rooms. Using a UV flashlight you can easily find out if your hotel bedding is fresh or if your sheets have been recycled. A few examples of fluids that glow under a UV light are blood, urine, and semen. Not something you want to sleep on.
  1. Checks for cracks in Antiques and Authenticate Glass: Do you know what else glows under UV Light? Green Depression glass and Vaseline glass, as well as other materials that can be used to date antiques like modern paint, paper, and fabrics. Furthermore, not only can UV light detect specific types of materials, but it can also make the glue used to repair porcelain and antiques glow. So, no matter how artfully a crack was repaired you will be able to detect the damage.
  1. Mineral and Gemstone Observation: There can be many reasons that you may want to classify different rocks, stones, and minerals. Whether it be because the stone is valuable or just plain curiosity, UV light is your answer. Specific rocks like limestone, marble and travertine will glow under UV light because they contain fluorescent minerals as well as more valuable gemstones like opals or rubies. So, a UV flashlight can definitely come in handy to make sure your stone is the real deal.
  1. Scorpion Hunting: As if scorpions aren’t scary enough, they are in fact nocturnal and almost impossible to spot at night even under a normal flashlight. They’re saving grace is that scorpions do glow under UV light. This is because they produce a fluorescent substance during the hardening process of their cuticles. Why is this important? Well, the Arizona Bark Scorpion who is indigenous in the United States’ Southwest regions is venomous and can, often times be deadly. So, having a UV flashlight in your pocket for walking home at night, camping or any other nighttime activity might just save your life.

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