BOSTON, MA — The Ionator EXP, a hand-held device that turns tap water into a chemical-free cleaning agent, has the become the newest green weapon against germs in the workplace for facilities services company UGL Unicco.
UGL Unicco announced this week that it is the first firm of its kind to take up the Ionator EXP, the professional-grade model in a line of cleaning and sanitizing tools by Activeion Cleaning Solutions LLC.
“We’re pleased to be out front on deploying the latest in cleaning technology to our customers’ sites,” UGL Unicco Vice President of Marketing George Lohnes said in his company’s announcement.
“Using the Ionator EXP is an extremely safe and effective way to neutralize the H1N1 virus ... the ionized water is absolutely safe for our workers and for building occupants; it doesn’t use any toxic chemicals; it’s completely non-allergenic.”
The Ionator EXP is 13-inches high. Fill it with water, pull the trigger and out sprays ionized water, which attracts and lifts the dirt from the surface being cleaned so it can be wiped away.
The trigger activates the ionization process that’s made possible by a rechargeable battery pack contained in the device. The Ionator EXP is good for three full eight-hour shifts before it needs recharging, Activeoin says.
The company’s website features an interactive diagram of how the product works and a video of the household model in use in various settings -- near food, a pet and a child and on surfaces ranging from a kitchen counter to a toothbrush. At one point, a little girl sprays herself with an Ionator HOM, a cameraman gets a shot in the face, too.
In its literature, Activeion notes that the technology underlying its devices has been used for years on a larger scale in food processing plants, restaurants and hotels. “We’ve simply taken this technology, miniaturized it, and made it affordable for everyday use,” the company says.
UGL Unicco, which counts about a quarter of the Fortune 100 firms among its clients, was an R&D testing partner for the Ionator EXP.
In its pilot, UGL Unicco tested the device at sites operated by commercial, education and government clients from March to October last year before making it available to all customers, a representative for the facilities services firm told GreenerBuildings.com.
Besides being environmentally friendly, the tool saves money, she said. “The cost savings are in the reduction of the amount of chemicals purchased, the containers that are used to store them as well as the reduction in recycling the plastics, the need for storage space for all the chemicals, containers, etc.,” she said. “Now, they just need to turn on the faucet to get the water.”
Using the device supports the company’s “Flu Preparedness and Business Continuity Plan,” which UGL Unicco Vice President John Kennedy wrote about in a guest blog earlier week, “Combatting H1N1 in the Workplace.”
Top image CC licensed by Flickr user bsdfm.
Product image courtesy of UGL Unicco and Activeion.