"Miracle" water eliminates need for Windex, Lysol, bleach, and even Evian
Filed under: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Simplification
What is it? Tap water. Electrolyzed water, to be exact. The recipe is simple as a snake-oil pitch: mix tap water and table salt and zap with an electric current, creating an alkaline liquid. In fact, it's so easy that if you don't feel like sanitizing your floors with it, you can safely drink it--in fact, some studies say that if you do, you'll absorb vitamins better and mice live longer. The ramifications for the environment are obvious.
Does it work? A professor of food science at the University of Georgia says it's ten times more effective than bleach at killing bacteria, and his study backs him up. The FDA, EPA, and Department of Agriculture have all approved it for a bunch of uses.
Best Shower Cleaners
Comet Scratch Free Disinfectant with Bleach
Price: $1.25
Ranking: 77 out of 100
Excels at removing established mildew and leaves no streaks. It require some elbow grease, so it's better for weekly rather than daily scrubbings.
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Ajax with Bleach Scratch Free
Price: $1.20
Ranking: 75 out of 100
Ajax cleans on par with Comet. It removes mildew and leaves no streaks, but requires effort to use.
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Kaboom Shower Tub & Tile
Price: $4
Ranking: 68 out of 100
When used every day, Kaboom Shower Tub & Tile trigger-spray cleaner stopped mildew and soap scum from forming in the first place. This cleaner is meant for those who prefer preventing slime, instead of combating it.
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Green Works Natural
Price: $3.50
Ranking: 67 out of 100
Green Works Natural, $3.50, was the best of the cleaners whose manufacturers made claims (often unverifiable) such as "natural." Green Works, which maker Clorox says has "plant and mineral-based ingredients," prevented scum and mildew from building up, removed rust, and left no streaks. But it was poor at removing established mildew, so you need to use it often to prevent slime.
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Arm & Hammer Scrub Free with Oxy
Price: $3
Ranking: 63 out of 100
Excellent at preventing scum and mildew. Good at cleaning and leaves no streaks.
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Bon Ami Polishing
Price: $1.20
Ranking: 56 out of 100
Good at removing scum, leaves no streaks.
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Seventh Generation Natural Tub & Tile
Price: $4.50
Ranking: 54 out of 100
Excellent at preventing scum and leaves no streaks.
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Method Tub & Tile
Price: $4
Ranking: 46 out of 100
Very good at preventing mildew, does a good job of removing scum and mildew.
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Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day
Price: $5
Ranking: 45 out of 100
Even though we didn't scrub, we found that most products stained or damaged marble, solid surfaces, and stainless steel. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day damaged the fewest surfaces, but was poor at removing scum and mildew.
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X-14
Price: $4
Ranking: 42 out of 100
One thing you shouldn't buy is all the claims. For example, the maker of X-14 says it "removes tough soap scum," but it was poor at that job.
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Like so many simple yet effective solutions, it gained favor outside of American borders. The Japanese spray it on sushi to kill germs without affecting flavor. Europeans treat burn victims with it. Russians kill microbes in oil wells with it.
So far, institutions are being the most active in seizing the new technology. That's because electrolyzed water loses its potency quickly, meaning it can't sit long on supermarket shelves, and a machine that converts the stuff can cost $600 to $1,000. But this non-toxic water is quickly flowing around the country. A Michigan prison is using it to keep dangerous chemicals away from the prisoners, a New York poultry plant kills salmonella with it, and a Santa Monica Sheraton uses it to clean the rooms. "I didn't believe in it at first because it didn't have foam or any scent," said one housekeeper. "But I can tell you it works. My rooms are clean."
A gallon of electrolyzed water only costs a cent, so that initial outlay can be paid off quickly. And Sanyo is quickly developing small units that can be used to purify the air. There was a time when Americans kept a cow around for milk, too, before we found a way to make that perishable liquid marketable.
Sorry, Windex. It's only a matter of time. If this stuff works out, we can slice the cleaning budget down to pennies.
Finally! We may shut Billy Mays up once and for all.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-02-2009 @ 7:43PM
Karen said...
typical liberal mumbo-jumbo. Trying to bring down the corporations that employ americans to give credence to the ravings of illegal mexican witches.
Reply
3-02-2009 @ 7:16PM
Bridget said...
And while we are waiting for this...
try using really hot water to do different kinds of tough cleaning jobs in your home. It is amazing what a coffee cup of water nuked on high for two minutes and a clean rag can get tidy, without expensive cleansers and chemicals!
Reply
3-02-2009 @ 7:45PM
bfgair said...
WOW it's about time the secret comes out. Dow chemical knew about this over 15 years ago and paid off a man for his patent for the process. It is the same process that salt water pools have been using just a bit diffrent application. in other words the same thing that Mother Nature has been using in the sea for a few million years.
What can you say IT'S ABOUT TIME. Now if we can just work on the peanut oil that was perfected by an american and used by the Germans as a fuel source when they invented the Diesel engine. American industry didn't want it around , after all a black man perfected it, so the Germans almost beat us with it. A true polution free form of internal combustion with out the profits for Exxon, Standard or Conoco. Maybe that is why to grow peanuts you have to have a congressonal permit.
Oh well one thing at a time. now we can clean up our houses with mother nature. Now all we have to do is to clean up big business, the enviorment and Washington.
Reply
3-02-2009 @ 8:29PM
Hugh Jassol said...
Karen said...
typical liberal mumbo-jumbo. Trying to bring down the corporations that employ americans to give credence to the ravings of illegal mexican witches.************** WHAT? Karen, your mental health is suspect. I suggest you get it checked out - IMMEDIATELY!
Reply
3-02-2009 @ 8:54PM
Tom Barlow said...
One reason it works is that this process produces lye in the water.
Reply
3-03-2009 @ 1:47PM
Abby said...
I have followed one of the companies mentioned in the article - Integrated Environmental Technologies, Ltd. (Little River, SC) and their "partner" (Benchmark Energy Products, Houston, TX). Your comment about the process producing "lye" in the water is false. You should check out the companies (websites are ietusa.net and excelyte.com) to learn more about electro-chemical activation. The article makes people think "it's true good to be true" because it's written with a lot of tongue-in-cheek, but I know at least one of those companies is really producing a product (EcaFlo Anolyte) that is the only "green" disinfectant that the EPA has given a product registration number.
3-03-2009 @ 6:53PM
Ed said...
There is another product called Dermacyn, made by Oculus Innovative Science, which is a wound cleanser with antibiotic properties. It is the first time this process has been stabilized bottled and produced in large quantities. I've seen impressive testimonials to it's effectiveness.
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