Cleaning the Green Way with ActiveIon's Ionator HOM: Review and Giveaway

Update! This review is now a review AND a giveaway! To find out how you could win your own Ionator HOM, keep reading..

When I first tried out Activeion's amazing hi-tech spray-clean system last year, I knew without a doubt that I was seeing the future. It's a wonderful example of how science can be applied to practical use; imagine, a sprayer that uses tap water to remove stains and dirt and smudges just as effectively as all those harsh chemical sprays, and kills 99.9% of bacteria! The only drawback I could see was the high $299 price tag -- but now they have come up with a $169 home version (the original version was developed for commercial/professional use), so mass adoption can finally begin! I was so excited to be invited to test-drive the new Ionator HOM, and after using it for several weeks I can say honestly that it's an amazing cleaner that I recommend without hesitation.

The Basics
The Ionator HOM turns ordinary tap water into a powerful cleaning agent by introducing a tiny electric charge into the water. This "ionizes" the water so that dirt and germs attach themselves to the water in the same way that they would attach themselves to soap or detergent. If you want a better explanation, watch a video of Bill Nye the Science Guy explaining it. To use it, just charge the sprayer, fill up the reservoir with tap water, and spray away.


The Bongga
I'm already a big fan of the Activeion Pro (the original version for professional/commercial application, which I tested last year and still use as my one and only cleaning agent today) , so I was curious to see how this HOM version compares. Here are the differences:

1) Price: the Activeion Pro costs $299 and the Ionator HOM version costs $169, a significant drop in price!

2) Physical appearance: the HOM is smaller and sleeker, with a wider base that keeps it from tipping over.


3) Maintenance: the HOM has a smaller water reservoir and a shorter charge life. This is one of the tradeoffs you make for the difference in price, and I think it's one that home users will be more than happy to live with. After all, professionals spend all day cleaning and spraying, so they don't want to be charging and filling their units all the time.

4) Sanitizing capabilities: Believe it or not, the Ionator HOM actually has improved upon the sanitizing powers of the older Activeion Pro! Activeion's marketing folks tell me that the Activeion Pro is "tested and certified to REMOVE greater than 99.9% of harmful bacteria through a spray-and-wipe process", while the newer Ionator cleaners (the Ionator HOM and the Ionator EXP, a commercial/professional version) are "tested and certified to KILL more than 99.9% of harmful bacteria, even the H1N1 virus, through a 6-second continuous spray".

As far as stain removal is concerned, I honestly don't see any difference; the HOM does the job as well as the Pro does! Even tough stains like red Kool-Aid are no problem:


Finally, I can't say enough about how happy I am that it's so safe for kids. It uses no chemicals whatsoever, just tap water, so I know they aren't breathing in or ingesting anything harmful. Now I don't ever have to feel guilty about telling my kids to clean up their spills and messes with the Ionator HOM :)



The Blah
I'm not a big fan of the HOM's water reservoir, which must be detached from the main unit before it can be refilled. Reattaching the reservoir can be tricky, especially when it's full of water! I much prefer the EXP's water reservoir, which is a part of the main unit -- just unscrew the cap, hold it under a faucet, and fill -- no additional parts to break!


The Bottom Line
The Ionator HOM is a safe, non-toxic, eco-friendly way to clean your home that really WORKS. This new HOM version is more affordable than ever and the best cleaning investment you'll ever make.



Win It!
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive an Ionator HOM, courtesy of Activeion. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me the feature of the Ionator HOM that you find most useful when it comes to cleaning your home.

For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following, (you can only do each extra entry once; please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

1) Subscribe to Bonggamom Finds updates by email (leave a comment with your email address).

2) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger(leave a comment with your Blogger profile name).

3) Become a fan of Bonggamom Finds on Facebook AND write on my Fan Wall, telling me you've joined the ionator HOM giveaway (leave a comment here with your FB id).

4) Become a fan of ActiveIon on Facebook AND write on their Fan Wall, telling them that Bonggamom sent you (leave a comment here with your FB id).

5) Follow @bonggafinds on Twitter AND tweet the following (leave a comment with a link to your tweet):

Win the eco-friendly, non-toxic, kid-safe Ionator HOM spray cleaner from @bonggafinds and @active_ion http://tinyurl.com/ybrn5n9

6) Follow @active_ion on Twitter AND tweet the following (leave a comment with a link to your tweet):

@active_ion I just joined the Ionator HOM giveaway on @bonggafinds! http://tinyurl.com/ybrn5n9



Maximum of 7 entries per person. This giveaway ends at midnight PST on March 22, 2010; I will draw a winner at random on March 23 and post the winner's name as soon as the winner confirms acceptance. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received a sample in order to review this product. Unless clearly stated, the views and opinions expressed here are my own.