OzoneOn Every Washer at Every Wash Bar in Ada, Ardmore & Pauls Valley, OK The Science of Ozone Laundry.
Every washer at every Wash Bar runs ozone-infused water, free. Here's what ozone is, how it out-cleans hot water while washing cold, and why hotels, hospitals and laundries like ours use it. Fair warning: we nerd out a little.
Oxygen, With an Extra Atom.
The oxygen you breathe is O₂. Ozone is O₃, with a third atom it's eager to give away. That extra atom makes ozone one of the strongest oxidizers used in water treatment, and it's why ozone has to be made fresh, right where it's used. Here's how every Wash Bar washer gets it.
It starts with ordinary air, which is about 21% oxygen. The oxygen you breathe is O₂: two atoms holding hands.
Inside the ozone generator, a high-voltage electrical field (or UV light) splits some of those O₂ molecules into single oxygen atoms.
Each loose atom grabs onto another O₂ and becomes O₃: ozone. It can't be bottled or stored, so it's made right where it's used.
The ozone is blended into the cold water feeding our washers and goes to work on your load right away. Minutes later, what's left is plain oxygen.
One of the Strongest Oxidizers There Is.
Oxidizers clean by pulling electrons away from whatever they touch: body oils, stains, odor molecules, the outer walls of bacteria. Chemists measure that pull in volts. Tap a bar to compare.
Standard oxidation potentials, in volts. Strength isn't the whole story: in the wash, concentration and contact time matter too.
What Ozone Does Inside Your Wash.
Ozone goes after three things in every load. Tap the germs in the washer window and send ozone after them.
Illustration. Tap a germ to send ozone after it. Ozone (O₃) hands off its extra oxygen atom to oxidize what it touches, and what's left is plain oxygen (O₂).
Ozone Loves Cold Water.
Cold water holds more dissolved ozone, and ozone lasts longer in it. Warm it up and ozone breaks down faster. That's why ozone laundry is built around cold-water washing, which also saves the energy it takes to heat water.
In one reference table for pH 7 water, ozone's half-life drops from about 30 minutes at 59°F to about 8 minutes at 95°F. Source
Open Fibers, Without the Heat.
Hot water cleans by loosening fabric fibers. With the fibers open, soap and bleach reach deeper and work better, which is why hospitals and medical laundries have long washed in very hot water. The catch? Medical-grade hot water wears out the sheets, scrubs and towels it cleans, so they don't last as long.
Ozone relaxes fibers the same way hot water does, but in cold water. Your detergent works better, you get a better clean than hot water gives, and your clothes last longer instead of wearing out.
For health-care laundries, the CDC says at least 160°F for 25 minutes is commonly recommended for hot-water washing, with chlorine bleach for an extra margin of safety. Source
- Fibers open up
- Detergent reaches deep
- Easy on fabrics
- No water heating
Drier Out of the Spin, Faster Through the Dryer.
Here's a bonus most people never hear about. Because ozone relaxes fibers at a microscopic level, they let go of more water when the washer spins. Your clothes come out of the washer drier, so they spend less time in the dryer.
Fibers Relax
Ozone opens fabric fibers at a microscopic level, the way hot water does, but in cold water.
Soap Gets In
Your detergent reaches deeper into the relaxed fibers and works better.
More Water Spins Out
In the washer's extraction (spin) cycle, the relaxed fibers let go of more water.
Less Dryer Time
Clothes come out of the washer drier, so they need less time in the dryer.
Cleaner, Fresher, and Easier on Everything.
Cleaner
Ozone relaxes fabric fibers so your detergent reaches deeper and breaks down body oils, sweat and stains, even in cold water.
Fresher
It breaks down odor-causing molecules instead of masking them with fragrance.
Helps Kill Bacteria
Ozone attacks the outer walls of bacteria, the same reason cities have used it to treat drinking water for over a century.
Clothes Last Longer
Ozone opens fibers without heat, so you skip the hot cycles that fade colors, shrink cottons and wear fabrics out.
Dries Faster
Relaxed fibers let go of more water in the spin cycle, so your load comes out drier and needs less time in the dryer.
Free on Every Wash
Every washer at every Wash Bar has ozone, at no extra charge, on every self-serve and wash & fold load.
Trusted Where Clean Matters Most.
Hotels, hospitals and senior-living facilities use ozone laundry systems because they clean well in cold water. With ozone on every washer, Wash Bar washes medical laundry every day: scrubs, lab coats, patient gowns, towels and linens, every order in its own machines.
Cleaning Water Since 1906.
Ozone Gets Its Name
Chemist Christian Friedrich Schönbein identifies the gas in Basel and names it ozone, from the Greek ozein, “to smell,” after its sharp scent.
First Water Treatment
Oudshoorn, in the Netherlands, puts ozone to work treating water at a technical scale.
Nice, France
Nice begins treating its drinking water with ozone and has used it ever since. It's often called the birthplace of ozone drinking-water treatment.
FDA: Bottled Water
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration affirms ozone as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for treating bottled water.
FDA: Food
The FDA approves ozone as an antimicrobial agent for treating, storing and processing foods.
Every Wash Bar Washer
Ozone-infused water runs in every washer at every Wash Bar store, free on every wash.
Good to Know.
Still curious? Ask the attendant at any Wash Bar. They'll happily nerd out with you.
What is ozone laundry?
Ozone laundry means washing with water that has ozone (O₃) dissolved in it. An ozone system makes ozone from the oxygen in air and blends it into the cold water going into the washers. Every washer at every Wash Bar store has it.
How does ozone clean clothes?
Ozone is a strong oxidizer. It pulls electrons away from body oils, stains, odor molecules and bacteria, breaking them down so your detergent can rinse them away.
Is ozone safe for my clothes and skin?
In the wash, ozone is dissolved in water at low levels, does its work in minutes, then turns back into ordinary oxygen. It doesn't leave anything on your clothes. And because it opens up fibers without heat, washing with ozone in cold water helps clothes last longer than washing in hot water.
Do I still need detergent?
Yes. Ozone works alongside your detergent and helps it do more, especially in cold water.
Does ozone cost extra at Wash Bar?
No. Every washer at every Wash Bar store runs ozone-infused water at no extra charge, so self-serve loads, wash & fold, pickup & delivery and commercial orders all get it.
Why does ozone work better in cold water?
Cold water holds more dissolved ozone, and ozone lasts longer in it. Warm water breaks it down several times faster. That's why ozone laundry is built around cold-water washing, which also saves the energy it takes to heat water.
Is ozone better than washing in hot water?
Hot water cleans by loosening fabric fibers so soap and bleach can reach deeper. That's why health-care laundries have long washed at 160°F or hotter. The catch: that much heat wears fabrics out faster. Ozone relaxes fibers the same way in cold water, so your detergent works better, you get a better clean than hot water gives, and your clothes, towels and linens last longer.
Does ozone help laundry dry faster?
Yes. Ozone relaxes fabric fibers at a microscopic level, so more water spins out during the washer's extraction (spin) cycle. Your clothes come out of the washer drier and need less time in the dryer.
Is this the same ozone that's in smog?
Same molecule, different place. Ground-level ozone in outdoor air is a pollutant. Laundry ozone is made on-site in small amounts, dissolved in the wash water and short-lived, turning back into oxygen.
Does ozone get rid of odors?
Yes, that's one of its best tricks. Instead of covering smells with fragrance, ozone breaks down odor-causing molecules, so gym clothes and towels come out fresher.
Why do hospitals and hotels use ozone laundry?
Because it cleans well in cold water. Ozone helps kill bacteria and break down soils without the hot water that wears linens out, and utility studies of hotel laundries have measured big cuts in hot-water use after adding ozone. It's also why we wash medical laundry every day. See commercial laundry.
Which Wash Bar stores have ozone?
All of them: Ada, Ardmore and Pauls Valley. Every washer in every store.
- U.S. FDA, 21 CFR 173.368: Ozone (antimicrobial agent in food processing, 2001)
- U.S. FDA, 21 CFR 184.1563: Ozone (GRAS for bottled water, 1982)
- City of Palo Alto Utilities: The Westin Hotel ozone laundry system case study
- Nicor Gas: Ozone laundry public project report
- CenterPoint Energy: Commercial laundry rebates (ozone laundry)
- Lenntech: Ozone decomposition (half-life by temperature and pH)
- Lenntech: History of ozone
- Oxidation potentials of common oxidants (table, PMC)
- CDC: Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities, Laundry and Bedding (hot-water washing at 160°F for 25 minutes)
Come See (and Smell) the Difference.
Ozone is on every washer at every Wash Bar. Stop by any store, or let us pick up.