Ozone laundry does work for many commercial linens, mostly by letting washers clean well in much cooler water. A federally funded field test found large cuts in hot water use at both sites it studied. It also found that water savings and payback depend heavily on how the system is set up, so the answer for any one laundry is “it can, if it’s done carefully.”
Key Takeaways:
- An ozone system injects ozone gas into the wash water, where it helps break down soil so machines can run cooler.
- In a DOE-funded field test, hot water use fell sharply at both sites.
- Total water use went down at one site and up at the other, so water savings aren’t guaranteed.
- Ozone is a lung irritant, and a safe installation needs venting and monitoring.
- The upfront cost can be hard to justify for small, low-volume laundries.
How does ozone laundry work?
Ozone is a form of oxygen with three atoms, and it’s a powerful oxidizer that reacts readily with other substances. An ozone laundry system is an add-on to existing commercial washing machines. A generator makes ozone from the surrounding air and injects it into the wash water, creating ozonated water.
A demonstration report prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and its partners explains the chemistry. Once ozone dissolves, it reacts with soils that don’t dissolve in water on their own and makes them soluble. The tumbling action of the washer then carries that soil away. Ozone also has sanitizing properties.
The energy savings come from lower wash temperatures, since dissolving ozone works better in cold water.
The same DOE-funded ozone laundry report notes that commercial laundries typically wash at about 140°F, that many loads can reach equivalent cleaning with no hot water at all, and that some bleach cycles still need around 90°F. Heating water is the largest energy draw in the wash, so running cooler is where the savings come from. After the cycle, leftover ozone is vented through a carbon filter.
Does ozone laundry really work? What a federal field test found
The DOE demonstration installed ozone systems at a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, and at an assisted living facility in Boston. The results in the PNNL report were mixed in a useful way.
At the hotel, hot water use dropped 65%, total water use dropped 15%, and the system had a simple payback of 2.8 years. At the assisted living facility, hot water use dropped 63%, but total water use rose 19%, because the wash programs added rinse water to hold cleaning results. There, the gas savings were canceled out and the system had no real payback. The report also puts a small system at about $10,000 and larger systems at over $40,000.
Staff at both sites reported no complaints about cleanliness. At the hotel, ozone neutralized the fabric softener scent, so the washers were adjusted to bring it back.
So yes, ozone laundry can work. Whether the benefits of ozone laundry outweigh the cost depends on volume, local energy and water prices, and careful programming. Before you buy a system or weigh a vendor’s claims about harsh chemicals or chemical residues, work through this checklist:
- Know your monthly laundry volume and how much of your energy bill heats wash water.
- Compare what you pay for gas or electricity with what you pay for water and sewer.
- Decide who will reprogram the wash cycles, with your detergent supplier involved.
- Measure hot water, total water, and cleaning results before and after installation.
- Place the generator and compressor where their noise won’t bother staff.
- Make sure an ozone monitor shuts the generator down at a set concentration of ozone in the room air.
- Ask your utility about incentives that cut the upfront cost.
Is ozone laundry safe for workers and linens?
Ozone laundry can be safe with the right setup, although ozone in the air is a health hazard. The EPA says relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, and throat irritation, and notes that OSHA requires workers not be exposed to an average of more than 0.10 ppm over eight hours. That’s why off-gassing matters. At the Boston site in the DOE study, a few laundry workers raised concerns when the system went in, and a monitor designed to shut the generator down at a threshold concentration eased them.
Ozone generators sold as room air cleaners are a different use, and the same EPA page says that at levels within public health standards, ozone in indoor air doesn’t effectively remove viruses, bacteria, mold, or many odor-causing chemicals.
As for linens, the DOE study didn’t report cleanliness complaints at either site. It wasn’t a long-term study of fabric life, though, so ask any vendor what their data shows for towels, elastic, and colored items over months of washing.
How OrangeBag thinks about greener laundry
Ozone is one route to a lower-impact laundry. OrangeBag holds Certified California Green Business status across its California operations, and it runs electric delivery routes across California, which matters for clients with their own sustainability reporting to file. The Los Angeles plant OrangeBag owns and operates sets the standard for every other market.
For wash chemistry, ask directly. Any vendor, OrangeBag included, should be able to tell you what’s in your load and how your linens are finished. OrangeBag runs commercial laundry and linen service for hotels, gyms, spas, salons, medical and dental offices, short-term rentals, and events across five regions. Agreement terms run under three years with a trial period, and the guide to what goes into a written laundry quote lays out every variable in the price.
FAQ
Can ozone replace laundry detergent?
Not entirely, based on the DOE demonstration. In that study, ozone was added to existing wash programs, and the vendor adjusted those programs, often working with the detergent supplier, until cleaning results were satisfactory. Ozone lets a laundry use cooler water and, in some setups, a lighter rinse. Detergent and bleach still play a part in removing heavy soil and stains, especially in bleach cycles.
Does ozone laundry save water?
Only sometimes. In the DOE study, total water use went down at the hotel and up at the assisted living facility, where rinse water was added to keep cleaning results where they needed to be. Hot water savings were large at both sites. Water savings depend on how the wash programs are rewritten, so measure water use before and after any installation, and hold the installer to those numbers.
What are the most common ozone laundry system problems?
Based on the DOE demonstration, the main issues are wash programs that add water back, compressor noise near offices, worker concerns about ozone leaks, and upfront cost. The report also names resistance from chemical suppliers, who are often paid by volume of chemicals used. A monitored, well-placed system with careful programming avoids most of these problems.
Does ozone laundry work for hotel sheets and towels?
It can work well. The hotel in the DOE study ran its sheets and towels through an ozone system, cut its hot water use sharply, and reported that guest satisfaction with the linens stayed high. Stubborn stains may still need a warmer bleach cycle, so ozone works best as one part of a well-tuned wash program with the right detergent and a careful rinse.
Weighing a greener laundry program?
Ozone is one tool, and it only pays off with the right volume and a careful setup. If you’d rather hand off the laundry entirely, OrangeBag can quote a program for your property.
Book a call or get a quote for your commercial linens today.
