Engineered Water Alternatives

As science progresses, chemical-based cleaning is becoming a part of our past. We are now seeing several chemical free cleaning alternatives becoming available. Engineered water solutions are among the top on the list. Ionized water and deionized water are two types of engineered water which utilize ONLY water, whereas, electrolyzed water and aqueous ozone are water based solutions that utilize a chemical reaction that is considered a low impact cleaner.

Ionized water is simply water with mineral ions in it. All water has minerals in it; however, if you cause these minerals to gain or lose electrons, you are creating ionized water. This is done using a process called electrolysis. The Activeion Ionator is a tool that creates ionized water. It uses blended stream water electrolysis to activate and convert tap water into ionized water. This is achieved by passing water through a water cell that applies a slight electrical charge to the mineral ions. (In April 2012, Activeion Ion Cleaning solutions ceased operations; the Activeion Ionator is no longer being produced or serviced. To date, no ionized water sprayer system has been released by any other company.)

Deionized water, also known as demineralized water, is water that has had its mineral ions (salts) removed. This is done by exposing water to electrically charged resins that attract and bind the ions, removing them from the water. This deionization produces pure water that is similar to distilled water. However, deionization does not significantly remove organic molecules, bacteria and viruses, because they have no charge and are not attracted to the electrified resins.

Electrolyzed Water is produced by the electrolysis of ordinary tap water containing dissolved sodium chloride. During the electrolysis process, sodium hypochlorite is produced, which is a common ingredient in store-bought household bleach. The GenEon Trio is a tool that helps achieve this solution. This tool converts plain tap water and salt into Sodium Hydroxide and Hypochlorous Acid solutions simultaneously in the same container by applying a low-voltage electrical charge to the saltwater. It is used for surface cleaning and sanitization, especially on food preparation surfaces.

Aqueous Ozone is a water-based ozone cleaner. Ozone is created naturally when sunlight or lightning adds an extra oxygen atom to the (O₂) molecules in the air. The LotusPRO unit creates this change by filtering oxygen molecules (O₂) from the air, passes them through volts of electricity, which turns it into ozone (O₃), and then infuses the ozone into water. This ‘Aqueous Ozone’ eliminates germs, odors, stains, mold, mildew and other contaminants on any item or surface before changing safely back into water and oxygen.