NATIONAL REPORT—For safe, non-toxic cleaning you cannot get much better than water—but it first must be converted to aqueous ozone. The cleaning and disinfection properties of ozone have been known for a long time, but it has often been inconvenient to access. At least two companies have recently introduced sleek rechargeable, reusable spray bottles, however, that make using aqueous ozone portable and easy.
The first company is Donastar Enterprises, LLC. Its EnozoPRO, after an AC charge, detaches from its base and kills 99.9 percent of most harmful bacteria and viruses on hard surfaces in 30 seconds.* “Ozone is capable of killing every virus known to man,” says Grace Donaghy, Marketing Specialist for Donastar.
“Aqueous ozone is a cleaner, deodorizer and sanitizer,” Donaghy adds. “You are killing odor at its source. It kills through oxidation.”
The EnozoPRO utilizes Active Diamond Electrolytic Process Technology (ADEPT). Within ADEPT, water from the reservoir is sent into a chamber where it passes through solid diamond plate and meets a direct electrical current. In this chamber a chemical reaction occurs that splits the strong bond that holds the two atoms of ordinary oxygen together and creates free oxygen atoms. These free atoms immediately seek to bond with other free oxygen atoms, creating aqueous ozone. (See video.)
Aqueous ozone can be used on any hard surface—anywhere staff or guests can touch. “The EnozoPRO can be used throughout your property including the lobby, gyms, kitchen, pool areas, restaurants, valet, and housekeeping,” Donaghy says.
According to Donastar, aqueous ozone kills odor at the molecular level, pet odor and other hard to eliminate odors.
“This is the perfect technology for anyone interested in going green,” says Matthew Robuck, V.P. of Industrial Sales for Enozo, adding that there are currently 23 patents on the EnozoPRO system.
Ozone Technology Not New
Donaghy says the hospitality market has been familiar with the benefits of ozone technology for a long time but the EnozoPRO brings it to “another level of portability.”
“Everything we do is portable, affordable and on demand,” Robuck says.
In addition to its convenient size, the EnozoPRO offers convenient access to its No. 1 supply source: water. “There is no supply chain risk,” Donaghy says. “The No. 1 risk today is disruption to your No. 1 supplier being able to deliver your chemical on time.” She adds that chemical deliveries are eliminated, also eliminating the risk to exposure to COVID-19 from that delivery.
Employees benefit from aqueous ozone. “Under no circumstance will it hurt human health,” Donaghy says. “Negative reviews from guests smelling toxic chemicals are also avoided.” And, while chemical spills may lead to replacement of carpet or fabric, with aqueous ozone that does not happen. Aqueous ozone leaves no harmful residues or irritants.
From a waste management standpoint, there are strong advantages. During the lifespan of one EnozoPRO, one can eliminate 12,000 aerosol cans and over 3,000 plastic bottles.
The EnozoPRO, which holds 14 ounces of water, can handle 5,000 refills and from a cost standpoint costs less than 90 cents a gallon (cost per ounce: $0.007 cents).
“There are no maintenance or replacement parts,” Robuck says. “You charge it at night like a cell phone. It goes ten tank fills between charges.”
EnozoPRO information materials are available that explain the EnozoPro cleaning process and its many benefits.
Tersano Introduces iClean mini
Last month, Tersano announced the launch of the iClean mini, a portable, hand-held sprayer that employs the company’s Stabilized Aqueous Ozone SAO technology to deliver a similar level of cleaning, disinfecting and deodorizing for home and business use. According to Tersano, which was contacted for this article but did not have a spokesperson respond, the iClean mini removes dirt, grime, stains, odors, mold, mildew, and pesticides from virtually any hard surface without harsh chemicals. In addition to killing the pathogen that causes the coronavirus, SAO also kills bacteria and germs such as Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli.
According to Tersano, the iClean mini is fully charged in 60 minutes and lasts for weeks before you need to charge it again. After charging, you just fill up the base of the iClean mini with regular tap water, which travels up through a pump to a diamond electrode core that adds an extra oxygen atom and turns the water into stabilized aqueous ozone. The spray contains no harmful residue and no offensive odors.
The iClean mini has an intelligent CPU and circuit design to ensure that the system is operating efficiently with an indicator light to let you know when the ozone is being produced or if your water tank or battery is running low.
Each iClean mini comes with one SAO Cartridge, which filters out minerals, such as iron, calcium, and magnesium from tap water. The Cartridge should be replaced every three months.
“Traditional home cleaning supplies often contain toxic chemicals, like ammonia and bleach. These products can cause headaches, irritate our eyes and throat and often emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are gases like benzene and formaldehyde,” noted Steve Hengsperger, Founder and CEO of Tersano. “The iClean mini takes a different approach. Our advanced SAO technology turns tap water into a highly-effective, non-toxic cleaner and disinfectant that is 100 percent safe and effective.”
*DISCLAIMER: The Enozo Aqueous Ozone Spray Bottle (also branded O3waterworks™) is classified as a pesticidal device under the EPA regulations. It has demonstrated effectiveness against viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19) on hard non-porous surfaces employing test methods recognized as scientifically valid in the field. However, it is important to note that unlike chemical pesticides, EPA does not routinely review the safety or efficacy of pesticidal devices, and therefore cannot confirm whether, or under what circumstances, such products might be effective against the spread of COVID-19.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
