What is the Dwell Time for Sanitizers and Disinfectants?

June 10, 2020 Leave a Comment

Sanitizing is an important part of cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning simply isn't enough if you want to remediate harmful germs. When you clean, you get rid of visible surface dirt, but you don't kill the germs and bacteria that cause illness. That's why a regular sanitizing and disinfecting routine is so important to sustain a healthy environment. Unfortunately, sanitizing and disinfecting isn't always done effectively, or it is accomplished using products that cause harm to people and the environment. That's because we've been led to believe we don't have alternatives to the "strong" harmful products to kill germs, and because productivity is such an important metric in our organization we do not always leave those products long enough on the surface, for it to work effectively. By not allowing the correct dwell times, we struggle to fight germs like MRSA and VRE that have built up resistance to traditional chemicals. But what if there is an alternative? A powerful and safer alternative to traditional chemicals that remediate better and faster? Read on...


Dwell time is extremely important for disinfecting. "Dwell time" refers to the length of time disinfectants need to stay in contact with a surface to kill all of the germs and bacteria. While we believe that products with strong chemicals kill on contact, the truth is that most of the sanitizers and disinfectants we purchase commercially require at least ten minutes before they begin to work. That means leaving a surface wet for ten minutes, during which time the product does what it is supposed to do. That also means any potentially hazardous fumes or VOCs in the product are being released into the air we breathe. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization, and the American Lung Association all agree that cleaners and disinfectants are harming us and in some cases killing us. Many of these products are complicit in birth defects, ADHD, autism, asthma, allergies, respiratory disease, and even cancer. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guide entitled Green Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting: A Curriculum for Early Care and Education reinforces this fact by stating that "In the US, researchers estimate 5% of childhood cancer and 30% of childhood asthma are related to chemical exposures." These exposures occur both in the home and in schools where children spend so much of their time. The same guide states that, "Some cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products also contain chemicals that may cause health problems in children and staff" and that they cause problems in the environment for our waterways and wildlife. The EPA stresses the importance of being aware of the sanitizing and disinfecting products you use and how they will affect people and the environment.

GenEon and the Benefits of ECA

The challenge we face as a society is how to kill germs and bacteria effectively without posing a threat to people, animals, and the environment. At GenEon, we use a process known as electrochemically activated water (ECA) This a technology that has been around for decades. In simplest terms, ECA uses natural minerals, water, and electricity to produce products that can replace cleaners, degreasers, window cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants. ECA can reduce your use of cleaning chemicals by well over 50 percent. The best part is that products created using ECA won't harm people or the planet.

How Does ECA Work?

Salt is a compound comprised of sodium and chloride. During the GenEon process, sodium ions are positively charged and chloride ions are negatively charged. Our Onsite Generators expose these ions to a low electrical charge whereby the positive side of the charge electrochemically converts the chloride ion (Cl) to hypochlorous acid (HOCl), which is a powerful sanitizer. The negative side of the charge electrochemically converts the sodium ion (Na) into sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a cleaning compound commonly found in soaps and detergents. Unlike many other OSG systems, our system is a Blended Stream System that uses both versions in one solution. The hypochlorous solution is represented as Free Available Chlorine (FAC) that has 80-200 times the sanitizing power of chlorine bleach. We mentioned earlier that dwell time for commercial sanitizers and disinfectants is typically ten minutes. HOCl disinfectant will kill most bacteria in seconds, including nasty ones like E.coli, MRSA and norovirus. ECA leaves no chemical residue, emits no fumes or VOCs, and has no harmful fragrance.

GenEon products are made by consumers as needed using our on-site generation technology and the ECA process. This means there is less waste across the board, both in terms of water usage and product. This also allows you to avoid having to store a bunch of hazardous toxic chemicals on-site, making GenEon cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants ideal for schools and daycares, hospitals and other medical facilities, long-term care facilities, malls, public gymnasiums, and anywhere else people work, play, and live. Since our products are made using water, natural minerals, and electricity, they are sustainable, safe for the environment, and won't pose a threat to people or pets.


At GenEon, we believe in the importance of putting health and safety first. We are dedicated to leading the way when it comes to safe cleaners and toxic-free sanitizers and disinfectants. If you want to learn more about our products or how to get them into your facility, fill out the form here on our website and we'll be happy to get back to you.