Disinfectants are typically applied to surfaces using hand-held trigger sprayers, pump sprayers, towelettes, or misters. Just as liquid chemical germicides have evolved rapidly in the last several years, so have disinfectant applicators. Electrostatic sprayers in particular are exciting because of their ability to treat large – even “shadowed” – areas quickly and evenly.
Electrostatic sprayers produce a uniform output of very small, electrically charged droplets. The droplets are attracted to surfaces but repel one another. The electrical charge on the droplets is so strong that they can change direction in the air in response to surface charges, wrapping around a target and contacting hidden or “shadowed” areas that are difficult to disinfect manually. Since the droplets repel one another, the disinfectant is distributed evenly over the surface and pooling is reduced.
Electrostatic sprayers are an innovative technology that will improve institutional disinfection in the years to come.
Image courtesy of ByoPlanet International