Disinfecting Covid-19 Foggers or Electrostatic Sprayers
What is the Difference Between a Fogger and an Electrostatic Sprayer?
As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, disinfecting services are becoming more important as people are figuring out how to manage life with Covid-19. Local businesses, community leaders, and private citizens need ways to easily clean common, highly trafficked areas.
Chemical sprayers such as foggers and electrostatic sprayers are becoming a popular option. It is important to understand the different types and which sprayers are most effective.
What is a Fogger?
A fogger is a hand-held or stationary unit that dispenses chemical agents. Foggers work by dispersing chemicals in a cloud of large particles. Because they do not break down the particles into fine droplets, they tend to spread the chemicals unevenly. Fogging also requires a labor-intensive wipe-down after treatment because it leaves a film.
Foggers use more chemicals than other sprayers because they spray-on so heavily. Foggers can be effective in combating infectious diseases, but more efficient methods have been developed and the fogger is becoming an outdated technology.
What is an Electrostatic Sprayer?
An electrostatic sprayer breaks down chemical agents into fine droplets and then positively charges those droplets with an electrode. Most surfaces are grounded and therefore carry a negative charge.
The positively charged droplets are attracted to the negatively charged surfaces which causes them to vigorously adhere to those surfaces.
Once the droplets are attached to a surface, the other positive particles will be rejected and will keep going until they find open surface area. This allows the chemical agent to be evenly dispersed across surfaces.
Electrostatic sprayers even have what is called “wrap-around” capability that extends their coverage to the unexposed sides of objects.
Because of their effectiveness, electrostatic sprayers use less chemicals than other sprayers and cover surfaces faster and more efficiently.
They are also battery-operated, giving the technician more freedom of movement and the ability to treat anywhere.
So Which is More Effective?
Foggers have been in use for a long time and while they have been useful, electrostatic sprayers offer a more advanced alternative. Fogging disperses larger droplets of the chemical agent onto surfaces depending on the direction of the spray. Pair that with the pull of gravity and what results is uneven coverage. Foggers also require wiping after treatment which is time-consuming.
Electrostatic sprayers use newer technology to deliver smaller droplets of chemicals to a wider surface area in less time than a fogger. Regardless of the direction of the sprayer, droplets are delivered to all surfaces because of the attractive nature of the particles. In addition to the “wrap-around” capacity, positively charged droplets are not at the mercy of gravity because the attraction of the particles is stronger than the pull of gravity. This allows vertical walls and ceiling to be easily disinfected by electrostatic sprayers. Fogging does not have this ability.
Fogging tends to linger in the air and treated areas require a long waiting period before people can re-enter. This is not the case when an area is treated with an electrostatic sprayer. After an electrostatic spray treatment, people can re-enter treated areas almost immediately, but it is recommended to wait 30-minutes just to be on the safe side.
Because of the advantages electrostatic sprayers afford, they are the better option than foggers when it comes to disinfecting offices, labs, vehicles, private homes, and many other places.
Disinfecting Covid-19 Foggers or Electrostatic Sprayers
Joe’s AZBIO Predominantly Uses Electrostatic Sprayers
The purpose of this article is not to completely denounce fogging as a disinfecting method because it can be used in conjunction with other methods to professionally clean many different areas. Electrostatic sprayers are simply a better option because of their advanced technology.
As was mentioned earlier, foggers need to be plugged in which limits their coverage area. Joe’s AZBIO uses two different types of cordless electrostatic sprayers in our clean-up procedures: Victory Innovations and Emist electrostatic sprayers. This affords our technicians the freedom to deliver disinfectant anywhere. And because of their even coverage and efficient use of chemicals, our electrostatic sprayers allow us to finish a job more effectively and in less time.
If you would like your home or business professionally disinfected as a preventative measure against the coronavirus or for any other reason, please call us to schedule an appointment today. We use the latest technology and strictly adhere to OSHA and CDC guidelines to ensure the safety of our technicians and our clients.
Disinfecting Covid-19 Foggers or Electrostatic Sprayers
