Carpets & Flooring
CRI Articles
IEHA Articles
IICRC Articles
Features
Water: our planet is covered with it, our bodies consist mostly of it, and without it, there would be no life on earth. Solid water, ice, is very special because it is less dense than its liquid form; that's why ice expands and floats. If it did not, many of the earth's bodies of water would freeze solid from the bottom up.
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 fairly narrow range of temperatures. Water is also a universal solvent and cleaner, dissolving more substances than any other liquid.
Makers of modern cleaning products have added surfactant and other 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.
Making Water Better
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 the 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. When applied to a surface, charged ions in electrolyzed water bond to the dirt and help lift it from the surface. In some cases, activation adds microscopic oxygen bubbles that also carry an electrical charge, further helping to attract and lift dirt.
Some studies show that electrically activated water cleans as well as traditional general-purpose cleaning chemicals. The electrically activated water, by all reports, is completely safe, and returns to its natural state in about 30-45 seconds.
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.
Activated water cleans virtually any washable surface, including glass, stainless steel, wood, granite, marble, plastic and carpet. In some forms, it can sanitize hard surfaces.
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.
