Introduction to Ozone Laundry
Textiles and fabric are an important part of our life. Clothes get dirty, and so they are regularly washed and worn again unless you are super rich and don’t wear the same cloth twice. With a change in technology, the ways of cleaning our fabrics changed largely. Earlier it was a completely manual process with extensive scrubbing with hands. Then came the detergents, which reduced the hard work of scrubbing to some extent. Then, we saw washing machines and laundry systems.
These laundry systems require some detergents, chemicals (for oxidization and cleaner results) and hot water input. These laundry systems replaced the manual methods widely. But recently, these traditional chemical laundry systems are getting replaced with even more efficient and effective – Residential ozone laundry system.
What is this new method of laundry?
Residential ozone laundry is based on the extraordinary cleaning abilities of Ozone gas. The system combines two elements- Oxygen (O2) and Electricity to produce Ozone (O3). This newly produced Ozone will be used as a chemical substitute. The properties of Ozone make it very suitable for laundry systems.
Ozone is a heavy oxidizing substance, or we can say a powerful bleaching agent. This oxidizing agent is mixed with detergents and cold water to bring out the best results. Ozone disintegrates in hot water and does not last long. Thus ozone is more effective and stable in cold water, which adds on as another benefit of Residential ozone laundry systems as we will see ahead. When the clothes are fed into the Residential ozone laundry, and cleaning process begins, ozone is produced and mixed into the water supply.
As the water is cold, Ozone dissolves easily in it and thus ozonised water is formed. Now there have been debates between two types of ozone dissolution. Some Ozone laundries prepare ozonised water beforehand and then release it on the clothes. This is considered milder cleaning and safer for clothes. While others pour the water on clothes and then release the bubbles of ozone in water, this is considered to be aggressive cleaning and a little compromising on the quality maintenance of textiles.
Once ozone molecules come in contact with clothes, the ozone atom sticks to dirt, bacteria, fungus, etc. and pulls them out of the clothes. Along with this, some detergent can be added for even better action of dirt. Some Residential Ozone Laundry System owners use detergents, while others prefer to go completely natural with Ozone only.
Why this laundry method? How it differs from conventional laundry method?
A Traditional laundry and a Residential Ozone laundry fundamentally work on the same principles of cleaning. Traditionally added chemical were used along with detergents for proper oxidizing action. These chemicals are known to be very harmful to fabrics when used again and again.
The overall texture and strength of the fabrics are affected severely. Therefore, there is a need to find an alternative to this chemical process. With Residential Ozone laundry systems, we can replace the chemical bleaching agents with a natural and eco-friendly bleaching agent- Ozone. Ozone cleans better than the traditional chemical agents and preserves the health of textile much effectively.
The cost of Cloth replacement due to damage reduces largely with the use of Ozone cleaning. Considering its requirement of only cold water, these laundry systems contribute largely to energy conservation too. The heavy contamination of water, due to hard to dispose of chemicals, is also greatly reduced with Residential Ozone Laundries. It is a win-win choice in every way.
Why are these not mainstream yet?
The tendency to adopt a change on such levels is not seen much in humans. Laundry systems are costly settings and upgrading a pre-established laundry system involves inconvenience and large costs. Residential Ozone Laundry Systems are costlier than Traditional Laundries, but they do save a lot with time and have high benefits. Proper awareness about these benefits and cost savings are not yet spread properly. The adoption rate is increasing, and these systems are expected to go mainstream soon.
Conclusion
Residential Ozone laundry is a great innovation and will, hopefully, see many technological improvements ahead. With so many benefits over the traditional laundry systems and a promise of environmental sustainability, it needs to be widely accepted for textile cleaning. Not only does it benefit textile health but also human health by eliminating the use of harmful and toxic chemicals and by efficiently killing the “super germs” present in our clothes.
Proper awareness program and promotion campaigns for the use of ozone in cleaning will be a step towards saving our environment and our fabrics from the injustice of using chemicals. The efficiency of current laundry systems can be worked upon in some areas, and smart cost-cutting on production to reduce the cost of these systems is required by the general public.
