Best Feature: It’s Versatility as a cleaning and sanitizing agent
The Low Down: I have always been intrigued by those weird science shows, even those infomercials like the one for Oxiclean. I have a passion for science and especially chemistry. Although I am not an expert, I do understand some basic chemical reactions and the principals behind them. Oxiclean uses the power of oxygen to clean and sanitize so too does the Lotus Sanitizing System. The principles are the same, but Oxiclean uses a chemical powder that leaves a residue and is caustic. I have purchased Oxiclean, because I wanted to see how well it worked. I keep it in a locked cabinet along with other chemical cleaners, stored safely away from the prying hands of my young children. The Lotus Sanitizing System does not leave a residue after use, nor is it caustic or harmful to my children. Both use the power of oxygenation to clean and sanitize, a process that occurs in nature.
During a thunderstorm vast amounts of O3, ozone, are released. Ozone is created by lightening and actually kills bacteria in the atmosphere. Have you ever noticed the “clean” smell after a good thunderstorm? This “clean” smell occurs because ozone sanitizes the air by killing bacteria and neutralizing odors through oxidation. How does ozone kill bacteria? It’s pretty cool how it works. Oxygen has 2 atoms of oxygen in its most stable state; ozone contains 3 atoms of oxygen and is not nearly as stable. When ozone comes in contact with living organisms it breaks down fairly quickly and becomes just O2 again. So, when a bacterial organism absorbs ozone, the third atom of oxygen is released causing the bacteria to literally explode, killing it instantaneously. That is one cool way to sanitize without using a more caustic chemical that leaves a smelly or dangerous residue. Ozone cleans using a similar process of oxidation; it simply attaches itself to dirt molecules then breaks them apart.
I have used Oxiclean for a while now and it does a fair job of cleaning. The results have not been as amazing as they show on the infomercial, but overall it does have a great variety of cleaning use. The Lotus Sanitizing System also has a wide realm of cleaning use, plus its sanitizing ability takes this product to another useful level.
Prior to telling you about my experience with the Lotus, I feel I must tell you about the system itself. The system comes with the compact countertop appliance, an ozone charger, a spray bottle and a bowl with a lid. The appliance has settings for either the spray bottle or the bowl; each is used for different sanitizing and cleaning processes. When you select the spray bottle for general cleaning, you fill the spray bottle with tap water and place it onto the appliance. Then, you hit the start button and the water is charged with ozone. When the ozonating process is complete, you have 15 minutes to use the spray before the ozone returns to its normal oxygen state. The machine is equipped with a countdown timer to let you know how much time you have left. If you wish to clean more, then simply repeat the process. This is great, because you will never have nasty chemicals lying around, as it turns back to ordinary water. The process for the bowl is similar. The bowl is used to sanitize fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. You fill the bowl with tap water and place in the food items and press the setting for the bowl and press start. When the process is complete, you simply drain and remove your food. This process will neutralize pesticides and kill any bacteria on the food giving it better shelf life. Can you believe it !!! Well, the proof is in the pudding and I love pudding.
My first experiment involved an automatic iced tea brewer that had been tinged brown by use. I had tried to clean it many times using many chemicals including bleach to no avail. I filled my spray bottle and charged it with ozone, then promptly sprayed the iced tea machine. The stains literally melted away leaving the white plastic as clean as new! I was impressed. I also have a white coffee maker. My wife said to buy the white one because it matched our kitchen. I wanted the black one because it would hide the eventual stain form overuse. Every time I looked at that coffee maker was a reminder that it was a mistake. So, I sprayed my favorite kitchen appliance with gusto! Again, those old stains melted away. It removed coffee stains from plastic, but would it remove them from carpet. Another mistake was to buy a cream colored carpet with children, cats and 2 heavy coffee drinkers in the house. The Lotus gave me hope that perhaps my living room floor might become just a little bit brighter. I literally soaked the coffee stained carpet in my zealousness to achieve what other products could not. The stains mostly came up with a little rubbing with a cotton cloth. Some stains I had to attack thrice, only to realize that those stains were gone and the rest of the carpet looked dingy! It took awhile, but I got that whole carpet clean! I got the results I wanted, but it took more work and more time than the tea and coffee machines. I speculated that the years of coffee, juice, milk, dirt, ice cream, popsicles, gummy bears and many other carpet spoiling kids stuff had created an amalgam of frustration for any normal cleaner to overcome. So, I was mostly satisfied.
I did try the spray on windows and it cleaned without streaking. The counters were easy to clean, but how do you know if it actually sanitized? You have to trust n the power of ozone.
Ok, so how would it sanitize my food and would it change the flavor or texture? First to be sanitized were tomatoes from my garden. I rinsed off the dirt that I could see prior to placing them in the bowl. I couldn’t expect the machine to magically dissolve that dirt. The machine did its thing, and then I did mine by removing the tomatoes from the bowl. I placed the tomatoes into the refrigerator and let time go by. Three weeks went past and those tomatoes were still looking pretty darned tasty. That is longer by far than they have ever lasted before. The refrigerator is kept at 38 degrees, so it wasn’t overly cold. I repeated this experiment with apples, peaches and cucumbers to the same result. I even tried chicken against my better judgment. The way I figured it, soaking meat would affect its texture negatively. Who wants mushy meat? I would never do such a thing to beef, so I started with chicken. You know what, the chicken was fine. I left that sanitized chicken in the refrigerator for 5 days! I removed it to cook on the grill and it didn’t feel mushy or smell bad. The finished grilled chicken was also delicious and the texture firm. So, yeah, I guess it works well on meat too, but I’m still not going to put my steaks through that process. It’s just a personal thing.
Bottom Line: The Lotus Sanitizing System does exactly what it says it does. I was impressed with its cleaning power and wide range of capabilities. The sanitizing power is for real, even though you can’t see it. I’m one of those that adhere to the axiom, seeing is believing. Well, you can’t see bacteria but you know they are there, so too must you trust that ozone kills them on contact! In fact, ozone is the most widely used disinfectant in hospitals and is used in Europe to sanitize their drinking water. Ozone is said to be 3,000 times faster and 50% stronger than bleach at killing bacteria! It is also safe to use even around babies and those with allergies and sensitive skin. What do you think? Could you use a powerful all-purpose cleaner and sanitizer that is safe to use and store? I think I might just throw away all those other products locked in my chemical cabinet and then throw away that key!
