What is Electrostatic Disinfection?
Cleaning our workplace these days isn’t just about making sure dust doesn’t accumulate on the printer and the windows are free of fingerprints.
Of course, these daily cleaning tasks are still important to do, but something else has caught out attention.
These days, we’re all fighting to stop the spread of Covid-19 (and other viruses) to keep our staff members and clients safe and healthy.
And although using a little elbow grease and a cleaning solution is a great first step in disinfecting, it is virtually impossible to disinfect every square metre of your premises. Because as we all know, germs can lurk everywhere, especially in our pandemic-ridden world.
This is where electrostatic cleaning comes in. If you ever require Covid-19 cleaning, electrostatic disinfection is the best way to combat the virus and you’ll soon find out why. But don’t get us wrong, electrostatic treatment can also be used for other viruses such as gastroenteritis!
At In-Tec, we are highly knowledgeable in electrostatic technology and have used this machinery to deep clean many of our client’s sites during the pandemic. In this article, we explain what it is, how it works, whether it can even kill Covid-19, and why it’s completely different to fogging.
Let’s get started.
What is electrostatic technology?
We’ve all been accustomed to the classic spray and wipe method for sanitising and disinfecting surfaces.
We do it at home, and we do it at work.
But let me tell you this.
This method doesn’t really work, especially if you’re cleaning for Covid-19 (or even other viruses).
If your workplace is in desperate need of disinfecting, put down the cloth and spray bottle and request electrostatic disinfection from your commercial cleaning company – it’s the new standard for disinfecting.
Electrostatic technology works by giving disinfectants a positive charge so that they seek out and cling to negative or neutrally charged surfaces. There are 3 reasons why most cleaning companies use electrostatic spray for disinfection:
- It disinfects large areas with speed and efficiency
- It has far-reaching coverage – it wraps around all surfaces
- Reduces cross-contamination with touchless application
Don’t worry, we will get into all of this and more below!
One thing I will mention is that cleaning must always come before sanitising and disinfecting. To find out why, read our article What’s the Difference Between Cleaning, Sanitising, and Disinfecting?
How does it work?
I get it.
Right now, electrostatic disinfection probably sounds too good to be true.
How can one machine, mixed with the right solution of course, effectively disinfect surfaces?
Well hold onto your hats because you’re about to find out exactly how it works – your mind will officially be blown.
Electrostatic sprayers work by using the universal interaction between positive and negative forces.
Remember when you would rub a balloon to create static and then it’d stick to a wall or your head? It works off of the same general principle.
Let me explain.
Most surfaces that require disinfection are negatively charged. So, what the electrostatic machine does is release disinfectant droplets that are positively charged allowing them to seek out and cling to the negatively charged surface.
As we all know, opposites attract.
Once the charged particles land on a surface, they repel against each other like magnets when they’re held rear to rear. This enables the disinfectant to spread out evenly, which in turn, provides excellent solution coverage. In other words, the mist that comes out of the sprayer has a wrapping effect. For instance, if you were to spray a desk from the top, the particles will find their way to the underside of the desk even though you’ve only sprayed from one angle.
This is the great thing about electrostatic disinfection!
Plus, it delivers three times the coverage of traditional spray bottles!
But there is one important thing I have yet to mention.
None of this can be achieved unless the right disinfectant, such as Oxivir, is used. The electrostatic sprayer doesn’t work all on its own.
To give you a little background information, Oxivir is an alternative cleaner to the traditional disinfectants we’re used to. It’s a fast-acting, broad-spectrum disinfection with enhanced cleaning power that is safe for humans while being gentle on most surfaces.
It’s also an approved Covid-19 disinfectant and can kill the virus in under 60 seconds!
But wait, should my cleaners be using a specific electrostatic sprayer?
Although there are many different ones out there, the team at In-Tec use the handheld sprayer from Victory Innovations. What’s great about the one from Victory is that it features a double-charge system which helps ensure that each particle remains charged as it moves from the solution tank to the spray nozzle. Without this process, the level of coverage that the sprayer is capable of providing would be impacted.
And there you have it, a simple but also detailed explanation of how electrostatic technology works.
Does electrostatic disinfection kill COVID-19?
Yes, yes, and yes.
But… with the right disinfectant – Oxivir.
If you’re ever in need of Covid-19 deep cleaning, an electrostatic sprayer is the best option for eliminating the virus from your workplace. But like we said, it has to be paired with the right chemical/solution. For instance, you can’t just go and put Woolies Essential Disinfectant in the electrostatic sprayer…it won’t work.
It has to be a high-grade disinfectant that is verified by the TGA.
As we all know, protecting your business from Covid-19 is serious and incredibly important work. So, make sure to ask your cleaning company what Covid-19 cleaning methods they use to kill the virus (hint: you don’t want them to use fogging and you’ll find out why below).
What’s the difference between fogging and electrostatic sprayers?
When people talk about Covid-19 cleaning, you’ve probably heard them say things like fogging and electrostatic. While many people assume that their names are all for the same tool, they couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Although foggers and electrostatic sprayers seem like they’d be the same thing, they were designed for different purposes that in turn, provide different outcomes.
This is exactly what we’re going to unpack right here, right now so that you don’t have to!
Before we begin, I’d just like to say that the 2 distinct differences between the disinfecting machines are super important to know because they prove why one method is good for Covid-19 cleaning and the other isn’t.
Particle Size
10 to 30 microns versus 40 to 160 microns.
This is where the first difference lies – particle size.
In practice, most fogging machines produce particles in the 10-30 micron range whilst electrostatic sprayers, like the one from Victory, typically produce particles between the 40-160 micron range.
However, there is one thing I want to mention. When disinfecting for Covid-19, the 40 microns should always be used as it’s the perfect size because it allows the disinfectant to dry quick enough on a surface and also has the capability to completely envelop the virus.
Now remember, a fogger can’t even produce up to 40 microns, which means it can’t kill Covid-19.
But why else do particle sizes matter?
For one thing, they affect the dwell time of a disinfectant. A very small particle will evaporate much faster than a larger one. This can cause problems if you’re using a disinfectant that has a long dwell time.
And because the particle is so small and dries quicker, it doesn’t have the right amount of time to encapsulate and kill a virus.
To put it simply, you don’t have this problem with an electrostatic sprayer.
But it doesn’t stop there.
The size of the particle can also affect our health. Small particles, particularly those that are smaller than 15 microns, can get into the lungs if inhaled which is especially risky for those that have respiratory issues. This is exactly the reason why fogging often requires an area to be vacated anywhere from several hours to days and nobody wants this.
Surface Coverage
When it comes to surface coverage, the small particles from a fogging machine don’t provide complete or even coverage. Instead, they tend to clump, dissolve, or remain suspended in the air – it doesn’t do the job you intended it to do…remove germs, bacteria, and viruses.
However, when you use electrostatic disinfection, the positively charged particles are attracted to hard, non-porous surfaces and repeal against each other. This means that even chemical coverage is always achieved!
And there you have it, the two major differences between the most popular covid-19 cleaning methods.
Have we convinced you that electrostatic disinfection is far superior to fogging?
Electrostatic cleaning is the best technique to kill Covid-19
If you were to have a Covid-19 outbreak in your workplace or any other viral outbreak for that matter, you want to know that it’ll be handled properly.
After all, we all want what’s best for our employees and clients.
Plus, you don’t want to confront Covid-19 on your own. So, check with your cleaning company whether they offer electrostatic spraying –it’s the best method out there to kill the virus in the workplace.
It’s fast to apply – you won’t have to spend hours or days out of the office.
It covers all surfaces, corners, crevices – you won’t have to worry whether something has been disinfected or not.
And, with the right disinfectant, it’s certified to kill Covid-19!
With electrostatic cleaning, you can be confident that your workplace is left germ, bacteria, and virus free.
While we’re on the topic of covid-19 and disinfecting, take a look at our article The Importance of High Touchpoint Cleaning For Your Workplace. Learn the best ways to clean all those surfaces that are frequently touched (germ-ridden) by employees and visitors.