Reopen NY: New high-tech tool makes re-opening during COVID-19 safer

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

New high-tech tool makes re-opening during COVID-19 safer

Nina Pineda looks at an innovative cleaning device helping make the Tri-State safe for reopening.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Before we all became hyper-aware and vigilant about spreading germs, school superintendents dealing with the flu and hospitals trying to control deadly viruses understood the difference between being safe versus just looking clean.

Now the world is waking up to the distinction and there are all sorts of products in high demand and 7 On Your Side is taking a look at one of the products that will help us get back to work.

A cordless sprayer which spreads disinfectant of your choice, developed long before the COVID crisis, is being used to clean the NYC subway cars and the shin guards of the New York Jets.

"We started selling these in 2016 and the only people who would really listen to us were schools and hospitals," said Chris Gurreri, the CEO of Victory Innovations.

Schools ordered the special sprayer to prevent high absenteeism during flu season and hospitals used it to battle deadly superbugs like MRSA.

Now with every company trying to get back to business by keeping tables, chairs, and other surfaces free from coronavirus, cleaning is essential to opening safely.

Cleaning chemicals need to sit for at least three minutes to kill coronaviruses and even longer to kill pathogens. Most people spray and then wipe in seconds.

"I can go through a hotel room in 3 minutes, in 6 minutes that room is usable again," Gurreri said.

The patented electrostatic sprayer works by charging whatever is put inside with a positive charge. Once released, it seeks and clings to surfaces with a positive charge.

"You'd spray like a dentist chair or in a restaurant, let it sit for 3 minutes and then seat the next patron," Gurreri said. "That way, in between for patrons coming in, you can disinfect what customers will be touching. "

When most industries are firing, Victory Innovations, based in Cleveland, is hiring and shipping tens of thousands of units all over the world.

The developers worked for Hoover and Dirt Devil before turning their attention to a sprayer. They say they saw this coming and while they didn't want a pandemic to be part of their marketing campaign, they are happy to be part of the solution.