CARWASH BULLETIN BOARD
Posted By STUART LEVY on 7/1/2010 at 3:48:04 PM
 

Is anyone providing any form of anti-bacteria treatment for the inside of vehicles? Not just odor eliminators, but an actual treatment that kills any type of bacteria including airborn pathogins.
 
Stuart Levy


Responses:

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: Ron Holub: 7/1/2010 4:58:38 PM
Doesn't sound like anything I have heard of.  How is it applied? 

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: Blair Woolcott: 7/1/2010 7:07:59 PM
Hi Stuart we manufacture an Anti Bacterial treatment specifically for killing bacteria and harmfull pathogins that can be found in your vehicles air conditioner system. The product is called Eco Fresh it is a areosol product that you set off inside the vehicle it takes about 10 minutes for the process to work. We manufacture it in Australia as the heat and humidity is a problem here with air conditioners and bacteria build up. We sell this product to car wash opperators and car dealers who both use it for its effectiveness and its potential to add incremental profit to the site by up selling the product. Golden Gate North distribute the product for us in the U.S.A if you would like a sample please let me know or e mail mne at blair@cargroomers.com
Cheers

Ozone Is An Effective Bacteriacide : Steve Okun: 7/1/2010 9:15:51 PM
Stu...

Ozone has been routinely used for air duct sanitizing for decades.  We used it for treating interiors with "sick interior syndrome" that causes sniffles and symptoms of sinusitis caused by bacteria and allergens breeding in air ducts.  It takes only 3-5 minutes to pressurize an interior with the gas... and another few minutes or so to air out.  The benefit of using ozone is that it leaves no chemical residue that might cause a reaction to humans with a hypersensitivity towards chemicals.  Fogging is guilty of leaving a harmful residue... and encapsulation chemicals only kill what they can touch, so an oxidizing gas that permeates into all the little cracks and crannies makes the most sense.  There's another form on the market called "Liquid Ozone" which relies on chlorine dioxide, a nasty toxin that becomes airborne... and is reported to risk discoloration similarly to that of industrial bleach.

Hope this helps.

-Steve



www.SMOKUN.com
RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: robert roman: 7/2/2010 7:50:22 AM
Hi Stuart,
 
Perhaps you remember me from my time with Regal Car Wash in Atlanta.
 
Over the last several years, I have used and recommended two products that I have found to work as an alternative to ozone.
 
Airsept A/C odor shield.  The start-up kit (2 treatments) is about $140, retail price.  One issue is you have to drill a small hole in the A/C plenum to get the solution on the condenser where most of the bacteria actually grows.  The remainder is sprayed into the A/C vents.
 
CleanAir A/C duct sanitizing kit.  This comes as a single application for about $12, retail.  It is one of the best foggers I have come across.
 
Ozone does work but "repeated" use with high concentrations may cause damage to rubber seals, vinyl and dyes use in fabrics.

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: STUART LEVY: 7/2/2010 10:19:47 AM
Wow guys, thanks for the response. Does anyone think an anti-bacteria program for car washes could be developed as an add on off-line special service? Would the consumer go for it?
 
Stuart

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: STUART LEVY: 7/2/2010 10:20:03 AM
Wow guys, thanks for the response. Does anyone think an anti-bacteria program for car washes could be developed as an add on off-line special service? Would the consumer go for it?
 
Stuart

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: Ron Holub: 7/2/2010 10:49:18 AM
Unless it can be done quickly and for a price within the existing off line services I would think it would be more of a detail service.

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: STUART LEVY: 7/2/2010 11:25:47 AM
That makes sense. Maybe as an add on service to express detailing.
 
Stuart

An Extra Service Currently Exists: Steve Okun: 7/2/2010 1:34:58 PM
Stu...

As I inferred, a service currently exists for carwash and detail operations alike. It entails the use of an ozone unit.  The service grew out of the use of ozone for removing malodors.  Since the demand for malodor removal wasn't the only thing ozone could achieve, we researched other attributes and found a Harvard research study that identified air ducts as being the primary breeding ground for allergens and bacteria that was the culprit for "summertime sneezes and stuffy noses" triggered by the stuff growing in air ducts.  We further found that ozone could kill the bacteria in the ductwork in just a few minutes of strong exposure.  The key was using a strong ozone generator for quick take-down.

Our research also found that prolonged ozone exposure to auto interiors was not a worrisome risk unless the exposure was very strong and for many days at a time.  The decade-old example cited was that adverse affects became noticeable only after 4 continuous days of highly concentrated ozone (5 grams) was used to remove the malodor of a decomposing body in a sealed & tented vehicle.  Since most newer automobile interiors have coated surfaces, the risk is really very low. 

But the use of ozone can be dangerous to human exposure because our respiratory system needs O2, not ozone. Ingesting O3 is toxic.  If a vehicle isn't properly aired out after a treatment, ozone will burn your eyes and nose and give you a giant headache.  Too much exposure and your body shuts down due to asphyxiation.

Client pricing for air-duct sanitizing runs the gamut from $9.95 to $19.95, depending on the marketplace.

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: STUART LEVY: 7/2/2010 1:45:04 PM
Thanks Steve. Very helpful.
 
Stuart

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: Clayton Hudson: 7/6/2010 11:07:32 AM
We have been using a product called Rid Odor Pro for about 4 years now with excellent results. It not only eliminates odors but also Mildew, Mold, and Bacteria. The product cost us $8 a unit and we sell it as an add on service for $49.95

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: Clayton Hudson: 7/6/2010 11:07:35 AM
We have been using a product called Rid Odor Pro for about 4 years now with excellent results. It not only eliminates odors but also Mildew, Mold, and Bacteria. The product cost us $8 a unit and we sell it as an add on service for $49.95

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: STUART LEVY: 7/6/2010 7:11:50 PM
How do you go about selling it as an add on service? Is it in conjuction with an Express Detail or is it sold as a seperat detail service?
 
Thanks
 
Stuart

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: Clayton Hudson: 7/7/2010 10:37:22 AM
Stuart,
 
  We sell the Rid Odor Pro as a seperate detail service
 

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: Blair Woolcott: 7/11/2010 8:09:18 PM
If anyone would like a free sample of ours please let me know, otherwise please e mail me and I can send you a video of the product in action.
It is easy to use and simple to use to use. regards Blair blair@cargroomers.com

RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: Jim Fitzpatrick: 7/14/2010 9:59:35 AM

 

I think that this is an opportunity area, and there is consumer demand that exists and that can be created.  I see the duct cleaning guys feature the beneficial outcomes of a clean home all the time.

 

Recently, when H1N1 was on everyone’s mind.  We offered a free power clean / disinfection service for steering wheel, door  & consol, where hands would touch and experienced a good response.


RE: Anti-Bacteria Treatment: STUART LEVY: 7/14/2010 11:16:16 AM
You're right Jim. Car washes, detail shops and car dealerships, particularly those sell used cars, have all expressed considerable interest in this type of vehicle interior treatment.  They all see the extra revenue potential.
 
Stuart

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