Using Ozone to Clean Clothes of Mould
After 6+ weeks at sea in damp conditions, fabrics such as cotton, suede, linen and leather are especially susceptible to mould growth. Opening a shipment to find mould covering your stock is a nightmare scenario, but the damage is not irreversible. Ozonation cleaning can destroy all mould cells, as well as bacteria and viruses present, without damaging the material. It can also destroy odours such as dampness and smoke, restoring clothes to a saleable condition.
A recent study showed that the fungal strain Aspergillus niger is the most invasive, able to spread mycelial roots through most types of fabrics of those tested during simulated shipping conditions. This dark coloured mould is easily destroyed at scale in our Ozone cleaning facilities. The study also noted that polyester, imitation suede, and polyurethane were notably resistant to mycelial growth.
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What is Ozone Clothes Cleaning?
An ozone treatment for clothes and apparel is also called garment ozonation. This service is offered as a sterilisation technique that destroys mould, bacteria and viruses without causing damage to the product.
We use Ozone to dry clean garments after shipping or storage, where the fabric was not adequately protected. The process permanently removes odours and mould spores, making retail stock saleable.
Ozone can be used on most fabrics, including leather and suede, without oxidising the surface. This post-shipping treatment is also useful for decontaminating homeware items that are made from suitable materials, including Aluminium, Stainless Steel, Ceramic, EPDM, PC, PE, PU, PPE and Silicone.
Unsuitable materials include natural rubber, nylon, neoprene, LDPE, Carbon steel and Cast iron, as these materials oxidise in high ozone concentrations.
Ozonation Benefits
Cost-effective at scale
While conventional dry cleaning is expensive to run at scale, an industrial ozonation service can clean hundreds of items at once. The ozone is generated in a sealed space until it reaches a high concentration and is held for up to an hour. During this time, ozone penetrates all folds and crevices to act on the contaminants.
Effective against odours
The oxidisation caused by high concentrations of ozone causes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to break down and dissipate into the air. These are the sources of most unpleasant smells, including mildew and smoke. Ozone also acts against chemical odours by oxidising the molecules that cause them.
Sustainable Dry Cleaning Option
Even on high-volume dry cleaning jobs, ozonation is a sustainable choice. As the ozone quickly degrades into oxygen in the air, ozone cleaning has no emissions and does not impact local air quality. This service conserves resources used for conventional dry cleaning, using only electrical energy to generate the ozone.
Easy Decontamination Without Damage
Ozone preserves the quality of most textiles and homewares while having a powerful germicidal effect on a wide spectrum of microorganisms. In high concentrations, ozone reacts with the amino acids/proteins in the cell walls of bacteria, fungi and viruses to destroy them effectively.
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How Does Commercial Ozone Post-treatment Work?
The chemistry behind ozone cleaning for fashion and homeware stock is rooted in chemical reactions that occur spontaneously in an ozone-rich environment. Creating optimal conditions for these natural chemical processes allows us to remove contaminants without generating harmful emissions or water runoff.
Ozone Generation
Ozone molecules consist of 3 Oxygen atoms, connected in a V-shape with one single and one double bond. It is a highly reactive gas, degrading into oxygen in minutes. Because of this short half-life, Ozone cannot be stored like other gases.
Instead, we generate ozone on-site using the corona-discharge method. Similar to the ozone creation that happens during a thunderstorm, this method involves creating an electrical discharge, or spark, in a space through which pure oxygen (O2) is flowing. The spark causes oxygen molecules to split into single atoms, which then bind to other O2 molecules and create Ozone (O3).
This process takes place in a sealed area in our facility, diffusing the ozone throughout the area to engulf all exposed surfaces and fabric items. The space is filled with ozone for approximately one hour to make sure all microbes are removed.
Ozone decontamination works in a few different ways depending on the type of microorganism in question. We will briefly explain the minimum concentrations and exposure lengths required and examples of the microbes Ozone is effective against.
How Ozone Destroys Bacteria
At a concentration of 0.23-2.29ppm, Ozone penetrates the cell wall of the bacterium and causes cell wall destruction known as lysis. In less than 20 minutes exposure, Ozone sterilises against listeria, salmonella, staphylococcus, streptococcus and diphtheriae, to name a few.
How Ozone Destroys Viruses
At a concentration of 0.2-4.1ppm, ozone destroys the external protein coat of a viral cell, diffusing into the nucleic acid core and damaging the DNA & RNA of the virus. Viruses are either killed or unable to bind to a host after ozone treatment, including influenza, norovirus, rotavirus, coronavirus (SARS-COVID-19) and Hepatitis.
After 30 seconds of direct exposure to ozone, 99 percent of viruses present are inactivated; ozone reacts with the protein in their membrane receptors, compromising their infectious capacity. Within 30 minutes, affected virus membranes are oxidised into reactive molecules capable of damaging other viral particles.
Moulds
Ozone concentrations of 3-5ppm can destroy moulds within 60 minutes and other fungi in less than 2 minutes. It is effective against aspergillus niger, a common textile contaminant. The ozone diffuses through the fungal cell wall into the cytoplasm, directly disrupting the organelles that control metabolism.
Dead mould cells require gentle cleaning from the fabric, which we provide as part of our ozone cleaning service.
Post-Treatment Phase
After the ozone has killed all microbes and fungal matter, we thoroughly clean each product to remove any residual matter. Stock is returned to the retailer fit for sale.
Deodorise and Decontaminate Retail Stock
Ozonation is the perfect solution for cost-efficient, effective and sustainable post-treatment. For all UK retailers, our anti-mould, anti-odour treatment is available for apparel and homeware products made with ozone-resistant materials. Because nobody expects mouldy stock, we offer a quick turnaround service, with next-day delivery available on request.
