Zero-Trace LLC
2501 W. Hampton Ave., Milwaukee
Innovation: Ozone emitting cleaning technology
The stale smell of cigarette smoke, alcohol, spoiled milk, even perfume can stay with a space forever.
Milwaukee-based Zero Trace LLC is mass-producing a customized device designed to eliminate unpleasant odors, bacteria, viruses and even mold from any enclosed space within a relatively short period of time.
“I first came across the technology trying to help my mother solve an issue of her own,” said Tom Daugherty, owner of Zero-Trace. “She had just purchased a car and there was a slight residual smoke smell in the car that she couldn’t stand. I was introduced to the inventor and the rest has sort of developed out of that.”
Daugherty purchased the rights to the patent-pending technology and now produces the Zero-Trace product for sale and as a service provider. Daugherty was introduced to the technology nearly four years ago, but Zero-Trace LLC was officially formed and launched in August of 2010.
“We targeted school districts, car dealerships and police departments heavily early on,” he said. “A few of our sales guys were hired from the car industry and so we had the inside track on a lot of things they needed in a product like this.”
According to Daugherty, the Zero-Trace can eliminate most odors from any space within a few hours.
“There are a few variables, and it depends on the amount of hard and soft surfaces in the space. But we can eliminate most odors and essentially disinfect every surface in a space within a few hours,” he said.
The technology lies in the device’s ability to break apart oxygen molecules using an electromagnetic force, Daugherty said.
“The oxygen molecules break apart and then re-attach in groups of three to produce ozone or O3,” he said. “Ozone has been used as a cleaning mechanism and as a disinfectant for quite some time, but never this efficiently or to this extent.”
The Zero-Trace machines currently come in two sizes, one for smaller enclosed spaces and one for larger spaces. The ozone gas is emitted from the machine and effectively eliminates any living organism and neutralizes odor within the space.
The device is plugged into a standard electrical outlet and uses about the same electricity as a home computer, Daugherty said.
“It wouldn’t even show a difference on a standard electric bill if a household used the device,” he said.
Human exposure to any amount of ozone gas is not recommended and the device shouldn’t be used with people present, Daugherty said. Despite that fact, Daugherty did indicate that the Zero-Trace product is designed to be strong enough to be effective on bacteria and other organisms and not produce any real risk of injury to humans if used incorrectly, he said.
The Zero-Trace device can be purchased on a per unit basis for between $2,300 and $4,500 depending on the unit size, or the service can also be purchased depending on the situation, Daugherty said.
“We have sold a lot of individual units to school districts and car dealerships, but the majority of our work in the hospitality industry comes in service provided,” he said.
Daugherty and his team of technicians can do a hotel room for about $70, he said, but residential work depends on the size of the house and the number of units needed to do the job effectively and efficiently.
The company also works a lot with the real estate industry and home inspection companies. The company recently formed a partnership with a home inspection company in Appleton and has begun to expand in that market as well.
“By the end of the year we hope to expand our sales staff and our franchise operations as well as form partnerships with more distributors and expand into other markets,” Daugherty said.
The company is also working in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School to test the device in controlled environments with common cold and flu virus, anthrax, MRSA bacteria and other medical situations.
“We’re hoping to be able to create a better designed machine for use in the medical industry as well,” Daugherty said. “It’s incredibly efficient and convenient because it’s portable and has little to no maintenance on the part of the user.”
