Janitors and other people who do large-scale cleaning certainly don't have an easy job. Among other things, they have to lug around heavy bottles of bleach or other cleansers, then risk the harmful effects of those products when using them. Texas-based GenEon Technologies, however, is now offering an alternative. The company's Immerse-A-Clean wand can reportedly turn regular tap water into an effective sanitizer, glass- and general-purpose cleaner, using nothing other than electricity and a non-toxic catalyst.
First of all, so-called "bleach generators" have been around for years. These use a weak electrical current to electrolyze the salt content in ordinary water, producing sodium hypochlorite – the most common germ-killing ingredient in bleach.
According to GenEon, however, these units are generally quite large, and require an electrical outlet. This means that users have to go to them. The Immerse-A-Clean, by contrast, is compact, portable and battery-powered (although it can also be plugged in). Users carry it with them, filling up a wash bucket or other receptacle from a nearby tap as needed, then sticking in the wand and generating a cleanser on the spot within minutes.
If used with nothing but water, the wand is able to create straight-up ionized water – the same "bleach" produced by other bleach generators. That said, GenEon's Christina Ganzer tells us, "Because we use a different technology, our solutions are much more stable, have a longer shelf-life, devices have a much, much better up-time, and the 'bleaching' effect is achieved with a neutral pH solution, so you can actually use it without the worry of ruining clothing or furniture, etc."
By adding a catalyst consisting of a proprietary blend of minerals, a more effective, grease-cutting cleanser is the result. That solution has been tested at the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts, which reportedly concluded that "it performs as well or better than the leading cleaners and degreasers on dirt, grime and soil when used as directed."
Additionally, according to GenEon, using the wand will be much less expensive than buying ready-made cleansers, over time.
The company plans to have the Immerse-A-Clean wand available for purchase by late in the first quarter of next year, at a target price of US$1,500.
Source: GenEon Technologies
UPDATE: GenEon has provided us with an updated estimated retail price of approximately $1,995 to $2,100.
What pay-back time are they reckoning? Let me see......$2000 worth of bleach. Hmm. That should be a few years worth!
A catalyst is a substance that assists a chemical reaction without being depleted. it sounds from the article that the substance is a solution, therefore it is not a catalyst. I can't imagine something solid acting as a degreaser.
There are quite a lot of steam cleaning gadgets on the market. This device seems to be very expensive for what it achieves.
I always thought a catalyst was an inert chemical that promoted a reaction. But looking at the website it uses a mixture of water and "natural minerals" ... doesn't sound like a catalyst to me
Imagine what it could achieve for areas that have bad hygeine, that are remote to transport large disinfectant solutions. It would naturally play a massive assistance in relieve aid programmes, be it in war zones, natural disasters, or simply ensuring disease's are not spread further.
Harpal Sahota.
And then theres the "green" angle, no chemicals or pollutants, its pretty much natural... suuuurreee i hear you guys saying that the electricity was made in some coal plant but come on. The point im trying to make is its something that a company can use to promote its image, that it doesn't use chemicals. or that a hotel doesn't use chemicals for cleaning etc etc.
I also think the price is in line with what higher income households might be willing to pay for whatever piece of mind a device like this might bring to cleaning their home, health wise... just as long as the help can figure out how to use it!
Lastly i found this article informative as i didnt know that electrolysis of water yielded sodium hypochlorite, that's pretty cool!