Customer Ratings & Reviews

LED smart bulbs are all over the place now. From generic white to an array of colors and brightness. This LIFX Clean bulb has all the typical features of a LED smart bulb, from adjusting the tone of white to practically any color you can imagine. However, this one has an added feature of emitting high-energy visible (HEV) light. This is essentially near the UV light spectrum that is supposed to be able to destroy bacteria. In all practicality, it can destroy bacteria, as well as other cells. However, without lab tests myself, this bulb feels more like a sense of well being without knowing its actual effect. Installation and setup was simple. Screw it in, download the app, ensure the phone is on your 2.4 Ghz WiFi and the app did the rest. The app took a second to figure out as they simplify things a lot, but once you explore it a bit, there are a lot of features. From preset colors, changing the white from 1500K to 9000K, themes if you have multiple bulbs or even special effects, like Spooky that makes the bulb sort of flicker like it was possessed. The only thing with the effects is that it is the app controlling it the whole time, so it runs in the background of your phone. The app is also the only way in which you can control the clean function though. As it was simple enough to connect to Google Home, it just doesn’t have a command to set to clean. I did have a couple times where I had to close the app out as it would freeze or not allow any function if it was left in the background for a bit. It even locks up on the effects from time to time. As for the clean function, it came with a little card that you can leave out that shows it was affected by the HEV light. At normal ceiling level, a single bulb looked to have no significant change. However, at close levels, like a foot or two away, you could see the card change color. I have a UV flashlight that does the same thing to the card but even faster. So, if this card is a true indication of the effects of the HEV mode, then it really seems that it is meant for closer light settings, like an adjustable lamp that can be brought closer to the surface you hope to disinfect. Maybe with multiple bulbs it could make a difference as a room light. Overall, this is a nice smart bulb that just works on your WiFi and has an additional feature of emitting HEV light. The app could use some work to prevent the lock ups, but it does its job. If you want the added possibility of destroying some bacteria under a light while still having all the functions of a normal smart bulb, I don’t think there are any other options out there yet. To get the most effect out of the HEV though, it needs to be close to the object.

The LIFX Clean light bulb is really a “light device” and not just a light bulb, that can do several things that a standard LED bulb can’t do. It will fit into any regular screw-in lamp socket, but it does have a non-traditional shape so it may not work in lamps where the shade rests on top of a bulb. Via it’s app, you connect it to your WiFi (2.4 ghz only, but at least no hub or base station is required), and can literally do just about anything you can think of at that point… change the color to any number of colors (they say “billions”, but put plainly – any color you want). You can dim it to a dim night light or brighten it to up to 1100 lumens - equal to a 75 watt incandescent bulb. After some fiddling with the appropriate third-party smart device apps, you can also get this to work with Amazon Alexa, Apple Homekit, or Google as well for voice controls. I found the app to be the best for me, as it gives you more detailed control. There are 45 pre-built color shades in the app’s Palette area, but you can customize and save your own warm and cool colors. There’s a Themes page that seems to mix colors to create certain types of moods – I found this to really just be some more color mixes, basically. Brightness can go from 1% to 100% full, so this can be used as a normal room light, mood, or night light. You can set up schedules for the light to come on and off as well. My one complaint is that the app is a bit fiddly… there are many areas you can go into, but not instinctively, and you have to explore quite a bit to find your way into a variety of different settings pages; it would have been much better to just have one large settings page that you can scroll down until you find the area you’d like to change, rather than varied areas buried in the app. What differentiates this version from others in LIFX’s lineup though is it’s “HEV Light” cleaning function. By now, many know that UV-C light will kill many bacteria and viruses, and you can get devices that use UV-C bulbs to sanitize phones, or pretty much anything else within a matter of minutes. The problem is, UV-C light can damage human skin and eyes, as well as harm pets, plants, and more in your home. Those types of devices are usually reserved for boxes or tanks where the UV light doesn’t escape (outside of hospital settings, etc). HEV light is said to kill many types of bacteria such as E. coli and S. aureus, and is safe around you and your pets – but instead of doing so in a few minutes, it can take 90 minutes or even several hours, depending on how far the light is from objects or a surface; it also hasn’t been shown to do much in the way of killing viruses – just a limited number of bacteria. So, for this reason, the LIFX Clean HEV function is really suggested to be used during cleaning cycles that last for hours, such as at night when you are asleep. As an example, you could put this bulb in a desk lamp aimed down at your keyboard or other items, or in a pendant light fixture in your bathroom aimed down toward the bathroom surfaces, and then schedule a clean cycle overnight while you are sleeping, to help reduce certain bacteria from those areas. In other words, it’s not a full sanitizing type light like UV-C so don’t expect that, but will REDUCE bacteria in a given area. I’ve tried this using a clip-on lamp in my bathroom and in my room lamp; now, I do not have scientific equipment that can measure bacteria, so I have no way to verify that the light did or did not kill anything lurking in there, but there was no ozone smell you’d get from UV-C, and it certainly did no harm. They do include a small card that changes color when exposed to the HEV light as opposed to the other shades, so that says something in terms of HEV being on a different wavelength. Overall I really like this bulb. I like being able to adjust one bulb to any level of brightness or color that I want, or simply tell Alexa to turn it on or off. In terms of the HEV sanitizing function – you have to really want and need this specific function in order to justify the bulb’s price; there are other bulbs in LIFX’s and others’ lineups that will allow you to just control colors and brightness for less money, but if you can use the HEV features, hey, it’s potentially less germs in your house! I recommend it based mostly on the light/app features since I can’t test the HEV results, but it’s a neat function to add. My one suggestion would again, be to streamline the app quite a bit to make it easier to get into one main settings area as opposed to SO MANY options scattered throughout the app.

Setup is simple. Install like any lightbulb, connect phone to the wireless SSID it provides, then follow setup via the LIFX or HomeKit app. Once added there, it's easy to add to Google Home app as well via connecting with LIFX. Once connected and using your app of choice, you can change colors or brightness to preference. The cleaning function only works in the LIFX app directly. This is a pretty novel feature for this day and age, however, little scientific research has been done with this lighting technology, and it is recommended to have the light on for a few hours to fully disinfect. LIFX is pretty clear as well the cleaning does NOT kill the COVID-19 virus, but it does clean other bacteria, so this is still a very beneficial feature. The LIFX app lets you set cleaning schedules for length and time of day. It seems to recommend night time running for a couple of hours. Overall this is a fantastic smart accessory. Works with all major virtual assistants, no hub requires, and works great.

Lifx’s smart light bulb is amazing and the HEV light to kill bacteria is a plus. But there are some caveats that I will go into later. The ultra-bright light makes this a worthwhile desk lamp or a light that shines down on your kitchen counter. Along with the incredible brightness, there is a myriad of colors you can choose from. Don’t like the colors? There are also whites available ranging from 1500-9000k. In this review, I will go into more in-depth about whether this smart light is worth it. ============== IN THE BOX: In the box, the Lifx bulb is tightly packed, a get started manual, and a card(pictured below) that allows one to test the HEV light on the bulb. The card changes color when it is exposed to the HEV light. Down below I have the pictures posted of the before and after. ============== SET-UP: Setup was quick and simple. Note, I installed the bulb on a floor lamp and a desk lamp. I’ll go into later on which one was more worth it. All that was needed for set-up was to install the bulb in a light fixture, turn on the bulb, and download the Lifx app from Google Play or the App Store. Once the app is downloaded, open the app, and go through the setup process to connect the bulb to your Wi-Fi. ============== LIGHTING AND LIFX APP: This light bulb is indeed bright. The brightness is adjustable through the app if you don’t like the brightness right out of the box. I’ve never really thought of getting a smart RGB light bulb until this one. As this is my first time using a smart light, I have no way to compare it to others, but after using the light bulb for a couple of days, this was honestly a neat experience. I used the light on both a desk lamp and a floor lamp. And ultimately, this light works best with desk lamps. In a floor lamp, the shape of the bulb resulted in less light coverage in an area compared to a typical shaped bulb. Note that results may vary depending on the light fixture. The app works flawlessly with the light bulb. Kudos to Lifx for the successful integration between the two items. There are many ways to customize this light bulb through the app. You can create a schedule for when you want it on or off. If you have more Lifx bulbs, you can create groups that allow you to group the light bulbs depending on what room they are in and control them all using the app. RGB lighting with a myriad of colors, whites ranging from 1500k to 9000k is all available as well. Want to create a cool scene using themes? That is available through the app as well. ============== HEV CLEANING: This light bulb does NOT use UV light to kill bacteria but rather HEV light which is safe around humans. I was a bit skeptical at first but after doing some research, HEV mode does work but with some limitations. I have linked a study below concerning the antimicrobial efficacy of HEV light. In short, HEV cleaning works but there are some caveats to this. Cleaning works best when the object or surface is closer to the light. The farther the object or surface is from the light, the least effective HEV cleaning is. I recommend this light bulb for desk lamps due to this fact. Also, another factor that affects how much bacteria can be killed is running time. HEV light kills bacteria at a much slower rate compared to UV light so it will be required to run the light for hours for optimum results. I think this makes HEV cleaning inefficient and ultimately, regular sanitization of surfaces is the better choice. Study: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0219/0638/files/QL20343-2A_An_Evaluation_of_the_Antimicrobial_Efficacy_of_HEV_Light_Report_FINAL.pdf?v=1614653165 ============== CONCLUSION: Overall, this Lifx light bulb is a solid choice if you are looking for a smart bulb with many customization options. But to buy this just for the HEV cleaning, I would not recommend buying this light bulb if that is your only reason to get this. HEV cleaning works but is inefficient due to how long one needs to run the light for, and the distance of the light affects efficacy as well. Regular cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces is more effective overall. While HEV cleaning isn’t the best part of this light bulb, the “smart” aspect of this bulb was solid and worked exceptionally well.

LiFX is the best smart bulb that is available on the market right now. Awesome and easy to use app, out of the box integration with Apple HomeKit, Google Home and Alexa, ability to control the bulb locally (via local network, with no internet access), easy install (if you have an iPhone - you don't even need a LiFX app - just turn the bulb on, go to your phone wifi settings - bulb will show up there all ready to be setup) - all this makes LiFX a market leader, add a very good color reproduction and 1100 Lumen brightness - you have the best choice! No hub is required either, bulbs connect to 2.4 GHz WiFi on their own. I love LiFX bulbs and use a ton in my home. However - this bulb says it can help fight bacteria. Not viruses (so it won't help with COVID-19), just the bacteria. UV light is the most common, proven and effective way to kill unwanted organisms, Sun light has some UV in it! However UV is harmful for humans and animals, that's why it's generally recommended that room with UV light in it is not occupied for the cleaning time. This is not ideal for the home use. LiFX decided to come up with an alternative - HEV (High Intensity Visible) light. It's not harmful for humans nor pets, but it's not recommended to get exposed to either. The idea of this bulb is easy - just use it in your desk lamp or let's say your kitchen island lights as a normal bulb, but switch it into "Clean" mode when room is not occupied (like at night). It will glow blue and supposedly kill harmful bacteria. Is it efficient in doing this? Studies I was able to find (all links below) demonstrate that yes, however bulb has to be within 4 feet from the surface and run for 12 hours to get rid of the 98% of bacteria on the surface. Running for 8 hours will reduce the efficacy to 90%. There are the links: https://www.lifx.com/pages/an-informational-guide-to-hev-disinfection https://buddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/LIFX-Clean-Passes-US-Testing-Ready-for-Retailer-Orders.pdf https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0219/0638/files/QL20343-2A_An_Evaluation_of_the_Antimicrobial_Efficacy_of_HEV_Light_Report_FINAL.pdf?v=1614653165

Our ever growing smart devices for our home just got after with the Lifx Clean A19. The company claims that it is the first antibacterial germicidal smart light. So that automatically drew my curiosity. The set up was really easy and it connected to our Google Home with ease. Connecting it to Alexa took more time than I expected. Within this light, the HEV bulb works similarly to a UV light (but not as harmful to the eyes) and it’s something they I’ve always wanted to have since the pandemic. I know that it does not eliminate the virus, but other bacteria is disinfected over a long period of time. Utilizing the app, you have to activate the Clean Cycle which is normally at night. So at that time, I placed our tablets and laptops underneath it while we are asleep. The 1100 lumen light has different mood settings, but I like the bluish tint for our living rooms Overall it’s a nice and bright bulb and gives me the peace of mind that within the time frame for cleaning cycle, my devices and room are somewhat sanitized from E.Coli.

The LIFX Clean Smart Light is a nice addition to a saturated smart light market place. This version is a somewhat 'niche' offering, that's not only a nice, bright, smart light with a wide 1500-9000K white balance and full color spectrum, but it also has a 'cleaning' mode! The bulb does NOT use UV light to clean, but rather a High-Energy Visible (HEV) light setting. This is a high-frequency, high-energy light in the violet/blue band from 400 to 450 nm in the visible spectrum. So whether close to a surface for a deep clean, or in an overhead light as a 'supportive' cleaning process, the light is safe for use around pets and humans, but bacteria such as S. aureus and E. coli on surfaces don't stand a chance. Simply screw the light bulb into your lamp/housing/socket and turn it on. Download the LIFX (pronounced Life X) app and set up the bulb. Within the app, you have the ability to switch through a variety of white color temps, ranging from 1500 to 9000K. This is a very bright lightbulb and performs very well. It also covers the full color spectrum as well, which you have control over within the app. And if you press the little 'star' button in the app, you can set the cleaning process as well, where the bulb turns to the purple/violet color range and you can set a timer for the cleaning. You can test the light out on the included sample card, that absorbs the light, revealing a picture, proving that the light was working. You can also integrate this light with Alexa/Hey Google/Apple HomeKit/SmartThings, to voice control the light. I use the Alexa ecosystem, and set up was a breeze. Search for devices, add the light to a new or existing group and you can control the light with your voice. It worked seamlessly every time. My reason for docking a star, is that while the bulb is very smart, has neat features and is very bright, the design of the bulb limits it's light output. A regular bulb offers about a 85% surface coverage to light. A typical smart bulb offers between 50-75% of it's surface coverage to light. This bulb has a relatively narrow disc of light that comes out of the top of the bulb. Best way to explain this is in my pictures. In the light fitting, the bulb is on its side. And with the design of the bulb, its light pattern is not even, and pushes the light out more on the left side of the housing, demonstrated by the light pattern on both the stove, and on the back splash. The whole left side is a lot brighter than the right side, whereas the previous smart bulb I had in that position had an even light across the whole surface. I wouldn't normally worry about such things, but with the bulb being so bright, it is very noticeable when working in the kitchen. This may be a unique circumstance, but if there was anywhere that I wanted to 'keep clean', it would be my kitchen work surfaces. Aside from the design/shape, I'm very happy with the brightness, the controllability and the versatility of the light bulb.

This is my first 'Wi-Fi' smart light in the house although I use plenty of other systems. I was curious mostly on the HEV cleaning cycle, which I've only seen in these lights. Because I have a home automation hub, Wi-Fi is not my primary choice, although this is currently the only smart light with a cleaning cycle. First, the setup: Need the LIFX app on the phone. With the iPhone right next to the light, it could not discover it automatically, but it worked right away once the app instructed me to change to the temporary WiFi network for the light. It asked me to create an account with an email and password. The onboarding process was not smooth: There is no integration with password managers nor with Apple or Google authentication providers. Besides this, it was smooth after that. The light is excellent in color definition and it's rated at 1100 lumens, but it seems much brighter than the bulbs I had in a desktop lamp. The range of whites is excellent and the colors are very deep. This is among the best in chroma and color rendering. The LIFX app has extensive color modes with flickering, and many color patterns that make for some interesting party tricks. After the novelty faded off, I'm glad that the whites palette is great. While one could automate circadian rhythms through the app, the process is not straightforward but doable. It supports HomeKit natively (some of the few lights that do), and it works very well except it doesn't support 'Adaptive Lighting' that's apple's version of circadian rhythm automations (Basically changing the hue of white from high to low kelvins through the day). It supports every other automation platform I could think of: Google's, Alexa, SmartThings, IFTTT, Harmony remotes (with hub) and several others. Note that the HomeKit setup doesn't need the app nor user credentials, once the initial setup through the app, because it connects directly to it, not via the LIFX cloud (Forums indicate that Adaptive Lighting is coming, eventually...) The lamp is rated for 110-240V, Edison socket and uses 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi. The feature that sets this apart is the clean cycle with HEV lighting. Somewhat similar to UV, HEV is related but with a frequency nearer visible light, and it doesn't cause the skin problems of UV but is also less effective. While I'm no expert, the cleaning cycle works best when the lamp is less than 4 ft from the surface, preferably 2 ft, and is most effective with cycles around 18 hours. Ideally this can work near a desk or kitchen counter and would be left overnight while no one is around. The actual efficacy tests are posted on the LIFX web site for E. Coli and Staph aureus bacteria. (No test data for viruses). So for the cleaning abilities, while it's convenient, there would be better options if you need a surface completely clean of bacteria and viruses. It works and I appreciate that it helps disinfect my desk but would not rely solely on it. Overall this is an excellent smart bulb with excellent whites and color rendering, but consider the additional price for the cleaning abilities on specific use cases.

CLEAN FUNCTION: The. main attraction for this guy is going to be the HEV light. Which has scientifically been proven to kill bacteria on surfaces and objects while being safer than UltraViolet (UV). But that has a large asterisk’s next to It. First, the studies showed that it was most effective at 1 foot and rapidly got worse the further away you got. The study only looked between 1 - 4 feet. Second, the amount of time was critical with the max amount being 12 hours. At 1 foot after 12 hours it killed 99% of bacteria. Outside of that it didn’t and my memory is fuzzy here but I believe It was closer to 70%. I recommend researching yourself if you’re interested over taking my word for it. So the process is obviously slow, much slower than UV light but safer. Additionally, you have to set it to be at a certain wavelength to work. it doesn’t just work all the time with any color as it needs to be between 405 - 455 nm. I’m sure If you had It on every time you were gone that it wouldn’t take as long to “sanitize” as you are keeping up with it but then you are creating more wear and tear on the expensive light bulb while using more energy. My point here Is you shouldn’t buy this light due to the HEV function and should instead see this as a nice benefit that may keep your home/area a bit cleaner. Unless If you have a very specific lighting scenario where you think this would work perfectly like a desk lamp and are okay keeping it on all the time. THE LIGHT: This LifX Clean A19 lightbulb supports 550 billion colors (allegedly as I didn’t test them all), those colors are quite accurate and punchy (from the ones I did test), you can also pick between 1500 - 9000K white range (which lined up closely with my other lights that report kelvin range). In the app itself it will tell you the kelvin color. Which I like so I can easily match them up with other lights. It uses wireless (2.4 Ghz) over a hub. This can be a pro or a con depending how you look at it. As all the tech is in each individual light, but that also makes them more expensive. I also found that it isn’t as fast as lights with a hub via voice command. But it’s not a dealbreaker and is probably only a second slower. It has support for Google, Amazon, and Apple which I love. Along with a dedicated LifX app. Controls for all of them are easy. Voice commands worked quickly and without issue. Original setup for scenes and all that can be lengthy but is completely worth it in the end. This is a fantastic smart light. Easily able to go head to head with Phillips Hue (which I own a bunch of). I’m not going to go too much into a comparison. Depending on the color they kind of trade on which is most accurate. Oranges were better on LifX but pink and hot pink were better on Hue. Tested via voice commands through Siri. Hue reports only 16.9 million colors compared to 550 billion though so take that for what it is. With the increased brightness the LifX has better visual appeal. As It can go up to 1100 lumens compared to 800. Which is a dramatic difference. I had the LifX at 40% and it was just as bright as the Hue at 100%. I added a picture that you can sorta kinda but not really unless looking critically tell the difference. Real life looks a lot different. They both get about equally as dim at 1%. CONCLUSION: Yes, these lightbulbs are painfully expensive. However, with them being LED they have a long lifespan and save a bunch of energy doing it. All while providing an awesome visual experience where your imagination and wallet are the only things holding you back. I own a bunch of tech, but my smart lighting is easily my favorite. As it really makes things feel like the future and the ability to change the color based on setup or mood can make a big difference. Along with the “health benefits” of auto dimming during nighttime to help with sleep, or mood (as certain colors can influence mood) makes it worth it. This particular light looks fantastic and gets really bright which can be hard to find. You can you chose whatever color you want along with warm/cool color profiles. Additionally, there Is the added benefit that this may make wherever this light is shining a bit more sanitary as well. For me It’s an easy recommendation if you are okay with the price. I’ll be buying more but likely waiting for sales.

Works like a charm, didnt have any issues connecting, love the warm light and wont be switching back to my last lightbulb.

The lifx line is amazing. This light is no exception. I put this light in the laundry room for the clean cycle. In regards to that, i cannot verify that the clean cycle does anything as i don't have the equipment to test it. Easy to install, use and operate via the app.

Very good light bulbs and I would recommend it to everyone

Vibrant color, but the wifi setup and connectivity is poor. I would rather have a hub.

Bought 2 and 1 quit working after a few months. That's when I found out that LIFX wouldn't honor the warranty because they don't support their products when sold by Best Buy. Would have been great to be informed of that before I bought it here. Be warned.

the light overall is very nice and bright and good for almost any use.

Works like a charm. Setup was a bit difficult though but once that got done it was great.

Like the innovative idea of killing the germs using this bulb !

I was waiting to buy this for a long time, glad I did. I use it to sanitize my phone and my keys when I get home, and use it for a normal desk light next to my bed.

Pricey lightbulb but love the brightness and HomeKit compatibility. Definitely the brightest smart light I've tested.

The promise of the LIFX Clean is that the light has HEV (High Energy Visible Light) to disinfect and kill surface bacteria. This is probably the smartest use of a smart light, using the times when it's not in use to perform another function. The setup was straightforward. You don't require a hub and the LIFX connected without issue to my mesh WiFi network (FYI, the LIFX uses the 2.5Ghz band). I set it up using the free LIFX iOS app and was able to connect it to Homekit. Huge tip and piece of advice, the Homekit QR code is a sticker on the back of the instructions. So break with tradition, keep and read the instructions! I do wish they printed the sticker somewhere on the light. That said, the setup is straightforward. I was using the light within minutes. The light is full color (unexpected surprise!) so you can have warm to daylight white light, but also fun colors for Halloween, Holidays, etc. But the big thing to know and understand is how the clean function works. To access the clean mode you need to the LIFX app. This is because the clean is not passive (i.e. not when the light is on generally) you need to be in clean mode. In the LIFX app, you select the light, then click the "stars" in the top right and it will go into a timed HEV cleaning mode. I need to emphasize though, you can only do this from within the LIFX app (from my tests). The useful thing is you can schedule the HEV Clean Cycle in the app. I have been playing around with the right time of day to set this because you need at least 1 hour to do a clean. At the moment, my favorite setting is to do it as an overnight clean (2-3 am) as I'm not in the bathroom, the blue of the HEV light is not intrusive, and less chance I will interrupt the cycle. You can of course also do a manual clean, but I do like and want it to be set and forget. Overall, I'm very impressed. Full colors, no hub, homekit support, and HEV cleaning. I have set mine up in the bathroom (sadly my kitchen uses a long fluorescent tube) but can see myself picking up a few extra of the LIFX Clean to use in bedrooms and at my desk. The only caveat is I haven't found a way to do the do cleaning or manual cleaning from within HomeKit, you HAVE to use the LIFX app. Not a bad thing, the app is fine - just if you wanted to use just Homekit you will be out of luck. PS. The light also includes a little card that you can use to test the HEV function. One side looks like a lamp, so don't throw it away either, at least if you want to show people how the HEV light works. Oh... is my first LIFX smart home device and I would definitely buy again.