The Secret is in the Water!

The heart of the Evans patented process is our high-saturation ozone washing method. We combine proprietary ozone mixing techniques, strict temperature control and specially formulated additives to quickly and effectively remove smoke soils, stains and odors. Our method also works exceptionally well on water damaged items, secondary mold contamination and many other types of damage.

There are 3 crucial elements to our patented high-saturation ozone washing process: Ozone Mixing, Water Temperature and Additives.

The Significance of Mixing Ozone with Water
Ozone is used as an odor neutralizer and a color safe restoring agent that makes whites whiter. However, if the ozone is not mixed thoroughly with the water the benefit is lost.

Other ozone washing systems sometimes used by retail dry cleaners typically inject ozone bubbles into the wash water. This method is only able to attain a 24% ozone saturation rate, which is not effective on smoke odors and can result in free ozone that causes fading of colored items.

How Evans Cracked the Ozone Mixing Code
In order to mix ozone and water effectively, a greater mass transfer rate than that provided by a bubble system is required. But how is this accomplished? A brief chemistry lesson is necessary to understand how Evans is able to best take advantage of ozone. Henry’s Law of chemistry states:

“At a constant temperature, the amount of a given gas dissolved in a given type and volume of liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of that gas in equilibrium with that liquid.”

This means that if we inject the ozone in a vacuum, we can increase the mass transfer (also defined as absorption) rate. Evans developed a special washing tank with a rotating mixer head that creates a vacuum in the eye of the spinning water vortex. At the end of the mixer head are eight openings through which the ozone is injected.  

This system gives the Evans Process a mass transfer rate of 95%-99%. The remaining 1%-5% is vented from the tank. No free ozone comes in contact with the garments, so there is no danger of color fading or other damage.

How Temperature Affects the Ozonated Cleaning Process
Ozone is created by adding an oxygen atom (O) to an oxygen molecule (O2) to form ozone (O3). This is an unstable gas that has a tendency break down and convert back to its original state.

The life of the ozone is measured in terms of a half-life of 20 minutes. This means that in 20 minutes, half of the ozone is no longer there. Other processes compensate by adding more ozone to the water, but that will increase the amount of free active ozone, which will cause fading and bleaching of colors.

It was previously known that ozone is more stable at lower temperatures, extending the half-life, but it wasn’t clear at what temperature the benefit would transfer to effective garment restoration. After extensive testing, Evans learned that maintaining a constant 55°F water temperature throughout the entire washing cycle provides optimum results. 

The Secret to Success with Ozonated Cold Water: Special Detergents
Garments affected by fire and water losses have a very narrow soil classification. Our detergents are formulated specially to remove the carbon-based soil, but most importantly, they are also designed to specifically work in ozonated cold water.

Most detergents require 120°F to 140°F water to activate or increase the efficacy of the product. Evans laundry products are specially formulated to work in water temperatures below 60°F and not oxidize in ozone. Because our detergents are chosen for their chemical affinity or physical attraction to water, they always rinse clean from the fabric.

Air Ozone: Ineffective and Potentially Damaging
Ozone is a great deodorizer but it can have negative results if not used properly. Too much ozone destroys rubber, meaning elastic in garments can be rendered useless. It also can leave an unpleasant smell. This normally can be washed out, but that adds to the time for processing and additional washes produce wear and tear on the clothing.

Evans patented ozone washing process deodorizes as it cleans, using use a much lower concentration of ozone in a fraction of the time. The results are clean, odor free garments restored in only hours instead of days.

1.  Mass transfer of High Concentration Ozone with High Efficiency Injectors and Degassing Separators, by Angelo Mazzei and R. Michael Meyer