Electrolysed Water – An Alternative to Chemical Cleaners
Water: our planet is covered with it, our bodies consist mostly of it, and without it, there would be no life on earth. Water is one of only a few substances that is naturally pH neutral, neither acid nor alkaline; and, uniquely, it can also be a solid, liquid and gas in a relatively small temperature range (0 – 100 deg C). Water is also a universal solvent and cleaner, dissolving more substances than any other liquid.
Makers of modern cleaning products have added surfactant chemicals to water to reduce surface tension and help it spread out in a thin film to reach, dissolve and carry away more dirt, making it a better cleaner. Unfortunately, evidence is mounting that exposure to many common chemical cleaning ingredients - even at low levels - poses long-term health as well as environmental risks.
Releasing the cleaning power of Water using electrolysis
Fortunately, technology now enables us to electrically enhance water's cleaning ability making it a more effective cleaner without adding chemicals. This process, known as electrolysis or activation, can help replace many all-purpose chemical cleaners, improving both health and environment.
"Activating," or adding a tiny charge of electricity to tap water makes it clean better than water in its natural state. When electricity is applied to water, it behaves differently; activated water performs much like water mixed with cleaning chemicals.
The science of activated water starts with an electrolysis process, dating back to the era of inventor and scientist, Michael Farraday (1791 - 1867). Classic water electrolysis entails placing two electrodes into water, connecting one electrode to the positive end of a power source and the other electrode to the negative end, like the (+) and (–) of a typical household battery.
Applying a small amount of electricity to water, in a way similar to classic electrolysis, breaks down the water's molecules creating positively and negatively charged ions. In some cases, activation adds microscopic oxygen bubbles that carry an electrical charge.
The charged ions bond to the dirt and help lift it from the surface. Studies show that electrically activated water can clean as well as traditional general-purpose cleaning chemicals. Electrically activated water is now being successfully used in the commercial cleaning industry: the technology is found in automatic floor scrubbers, and most recently, it's been incorporated into a hand-held spray device for portable cleaning. The electrically activated water in both of these commercially available devices, by all reports, is completely safe, and returns to its natural state in about 45 seconds.
Activated water in the hand-held device is used for cleaning glass, stainless steel, wood, stone, marble, plastic and carpet and can remove bacteria up to 99.99%. Activated water in the automatic scrubber is used on hard floor surfaces as a replacement for standard floor cleaning detergents. Beyond the obvious cost reduction that comes with eliminating the need of purchasing chemicals, other reported benefits include improved traction on walking surfaces as well as a reduction in re-soiling, both related to the elimination of residual chemical left behind when using conventional methods.
Independent tests show cleaning with water cleans as well as or better than detergent
Independent 3rd party testing has been performed at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota over a three month period. Testing consisted of side-by-side testing of identically configured walk-behind automatic scrubbers, on the same flooring
surfaces – one with standard detergent, one with activated water. Total suspended solids were regularly sampled from the recovery tanks. Testing confirmed that the machine using activated water cleaned as well as or better than Target Center’s standard detergent-based system. Consumer interest in reducing synthetic chemical use, combined with growing support for this technology indicate a clear shift toward using activated water as a cleaning solution.
Water is a Sustainable Cleaner
Beyond being safer, activated water, when compared to common chemical cleaners, is often much better for the environment. It eliminates the need for disposal of potentially-harmful toxins, and reduces resources needed to manufacture, package, and ship chemicals. By using plain water, there is no need to buy bottles of cleaner, saving money and also eliminating packaging. By the numbers, an automatic scrubber user who scrubs 5,000 m2, 7 days/wk can expect to save approximately $1500 on detergent, eliminate the purchase, handling, storage and dispensing of 950 liters of detergent as well as the disposing of approximately 70 kg of packaging materials, on an annual basis.
Click here for more information on products powered by Tennant’s ec-H2O™ technology including a range of floor scrubbers and a hand held spray.
