If you want to buy aqueous ozone, what you actually buy is not aqueous ozone but a device that makes it. Dissolved ozone breaks down in tap water within minutes. So the key question when buying is not which brand, but where and when the device puts the ozone into the water.
Search for an ozone spray bottle, ozonated water spray or an "ozone cleaning machine" and you will find three types of device: the spray bottle, the dispenser and the ozone generator. The word ozone links them, but they make different things, in different places, for different jobs.
This guide explains what each type does, which tasks it suits and what to ask the supplier before you buy. A note up front: Enozo makes a spray bottle, EnozoPRO. That is why this guide compares types of device rather than brands, and why it also says where a spray bottle is not the best choice.
What are you actually buying when you buy aqueous ozone?
You are buying a device, not a liquid. Aqueous ozone is water with a small amount of dissolved ozone, and that ozone breaks down to oxygen on its own. In tap water this happens quickly: a Brazilian graduate study measured a half-life of about 1.7 to 3.0 minutes at 5 to 25 °C (UFV, 2024).
Exactly how quickly the ozone disappears depends on the temperature, the pH and what is dissolved in the water (Gardoni et al., Ozone: Science & Engineering, 2012). That is why stated figures vary: for EnozoPRO, Enozo gives an active half-life of about 5 minutes. In tap water, though, it is a matter of minutes, not days. For a full explanation of how aqueous ozone works and why it breaks down so fast, see What is aqueous ozone?.
That gives the most important buying rule: the shorter the time between making the aqueous ozone and applying it to the surface, the more ozone is still in it.
Some products are sold as stabilised aqueous ozone, with a long claimed shelf life. With such a product, ask for a measurement of the ozone still in the bottle after storage.
Three types of device side by side
The three devices differ mainly in what they make, where that happens and how much time passes between making and using.
| Spray bottle | Dispenser | Ozone generator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it makes | Aqueous ozone | Aqueous ozone | Ozone gas |
| Where the ozone is made | In the bottle, each time you pull the trigger | In a fixed unit, at the tap point | In the device, which releases the gas into the air of a room |
| Time between making and use | Seconds | Minutes or longer, depending on how fast the water is used | Not applicable |
| Installation | None: fill at the tap | Connection to water and power | Placed according to the manual |
| Mobility | Goes on the cart | Fixed point | Moved from room to room |
| Suits | Daily cleaning of hard surfaces with a cloth | Large volumes of water, such as buckets and floor scrubbers | Treating a room through the air |
| What you still manage | Charging, and one bottle per cleaner | Maintaining the unit, and using the water quickly after filling | Use strictly as the manufacturer instructs |
The spray bottle: aqueous ozone at the moment you spray
An aqueous ozone spray bottle only makes the ozone when you pull the trigger. The water reaches the surface with the ozone it contains at that moment, with no waiting time in between.
EnozoPRO and similar spray bottles do this by electrolysis. A small electrode in the bottle uses an electric current to turn some of the water molecules into ozone. This happens directly in the water, without an intermediate step through ozone gas (Liu et al., EES Catalysis, 2025). EnozoPRO uses a diamond electrode for this: the 400 ml bottle makes fresh aqueous ozone from the tap water inside it with every pull of the trigger.
Where a spray bottle is strong:
- No installation. Fill the bottle at the tap and start. Nothing needs to be connected or measured out.
- Fresh with every pull. The ozone is made with each pull of the trigger, seconds before the water reaches the surface.
- Mobile. The bottle goes on the cleaning cart, from table to counter to washroom.
- One bottle for many daily tasks. Tables, door handles, counters, washrooms, mirrors and glass within reach.
Where a spray bottle is less suitable:
- Large volumes of water. A spray bottle is made for spraying and wiping, not for filling a bucket or a floor scrubber. According to Enozo, EnozoPRO makes about 3.8 litres of aqueous ozone per battery charge.
- Charging. The bottle has a battery. Agree who puts the bottles on the charger at the end of each shift.
- One bottle per cleaner. If several people clean at the same time, you need several bottles.
Aqueous ozone contains no soap. With a spray bottle you still need a microfibre cloth to pick up the dirt, and heavy grease and limescale still call for a degreaser or limescale remover.
The dispenser: large volumes of aqueous ozone at one point
A dispenser is a fixed unit connected to the water supply and the mains. Aqueous ozone comes out at the tap point, and you use it to fill bottles, buckets or a floor scrubber.
Dispensers make the ozone in one of two ways. Some use electrolysis in the water, like a spray bottle. Others first make ozone gas with an electrical discharge, known as corona discharge, and then dissolve that gas in the water. Corona discharge is the technique most industrial ozone generators use (Liu et al., EES Catalysis, 2025).
Where a dispenser is strong:
- Volume. A dispenser delivers far more water at a time than a spray bottle.
- Buckets and machines. Mopping and floor scrubbers need volume, which a spray bottle cannot supply.
- One central point. Every cleaner fills up in the same place.
What to watch with a dispenser:
- The time between filling and use. As soon as the water leaves the unit, the ozone starts to break down. Take the half-life of about 5 minutes that Enozo gives for EnozoPRO: after a quarter of an hour, about one eighth of the ozone is left. In the Brazilian tap-water study, the half-life was even shorter, at 1.7 to 3.0 minutes. A bucket carried on an hour-long round has almost no ozone left by the end.
- Installation and location. The unit needs to be near a water connection and a power socket. Pick a spot cleaners already pass.
- Maintenance. Ask what maintenance the unit needs and what it costs. With electrolysis, limescale matters: diamond electrodes can build up scale in water with a lot of calcium and magnesium (DECHEMA).
A dispenser and a spray bottle are not mutually exclusive. A cleaning contractor might use a dispenser for floors and spray bottles for surfaces. In that case, have the supplier show how long the water stays usable after filling.
The ozone generator: a different device for a different job
An ozone generator makes ozone gas and releases it into the air of a room. It does not make aqueous ozone and is not meant for wiping surfaces with a cloth.
Even so, ozone generators come up when you search for an "ozone cleaning machine" or "ozone cleaning". The word ozone is the same, but the job is different: an ozone generator treats a room through the air, while you use aqueous ozone on a surface. If you are looking for a device for the daily cleaning of tables, counters and washrooms, an ozone generator is the wrong tool.
If you use an ozone generator to treat a room through the air, follow the manufacturer's manual strictly. A short comparison of aqueous ozone, ozone generators and pure water is in the article on what aqueous ozone is.
Which device suits which task?
Choose the device to fit the task, not the other way round.
| Situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Daily round in a restaurant, hotel or office: tables, bar, door handles, washrooms | Spray bottle | Fresh with every pull, mobile, no installation |
| Cleaning hotel rooms from a cart | Spray bottle | Goes with you from room to room |
| Large floor areas with a floor scrubber | Dispenser, possibly alongside spray bottles | Volume; use the water straight after filling |
| Several shifts preparing their kit at one point | Dispenser, or one spray bottle per cleaner | Depends on how fast the water is used after filling |
| Treating a room through the air | Ozone generator (not an aqueous ozone device) | Different job, different technique |
| Heavy or baked-on grease, limescale | None of these devices | Use a degreaser or limescale remover |
Torn between two options? Test them for a few weeks on one site and compare what cleaners actually do: how much water they use, where they get it and how long it is in transit.
Eight questions to ask the supplier
A good supplier answers these questions without hedging. Ask for the answers in writing.
- Where and when is the ozone made? In the device at the moment of use, or earlier, at a tap point or in a factory?
- What concentration, and how was it measured? Ask for the figure in ppm and for the report that describes the measurement method.
- What is left in the water after 5, 15 and 30 minutes? This question matters most for dispensers and for products sold as stabilised.
- What maintenance is needed? Think of descaling, replaceable cells or cartridges and how often they need replacing. Also ask how the hardness of your tap water affects this.
- How many litres per battery charge, and how long does charging take? For spray bottles, this decides how many bottles you need per shift.
- What warranty and return period apply? Read what is and isn't covered.
- What documentation is available? Ask for the CE marking, the instructions for use and independent test reports.
- What does the supplier promise, and what supports it? For every promise, ask for the source or the test report. A promise without support is one you cannot check.
What does an aqueous ozone device cost?
The purchase price is only part of the cost. Compare devices on total cost per month, not on the price on the label.
Count these items:
- Purchase or subscription. Some devices you buy once; for others you pay per period.
- Installation. A dispenser needs a water and power connection; a spray bottle does not.
- Maintenance and replacement parts. Cells, cartridges, filters and descaling.
- Electricity. Charging, or the unit's power supply.
- What you still buy. For daily cleaning, Enozo says aqueous ozone replaces a large share of the usual products, but not all of them. Limescale removers, heavy-duty degreasers and prescribed products stay on the purchasing list.
Against those costs, set what you buy less of: bottles, concentrates and the packaging waste that comes with them. Use Enozo's cost calculator for a first estimate for your own situation.
EnozoPRO is for business customers only. You can buy the bottle outright or take it through EnozoPRO Access, paid per quarter with no fixed term. Current prices are on the EnozoPRO product page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an installer?
Not for a spray bottle: you fill it at the tap and charge the battery. A dispenser has to be connected to the water supply and the mains. Ask the supplier who does that and what it costs.
How many spray bottles do I need?
Plan on one bottle per cleaner working at the same time, plus spares if bottles need charging during a shift. How much aqueous ozone a bottle makes per charge decides whether one bottle lasts a whole shift. For EnozoPRO, Enozo puts this at about 3.8 litres per charge.
How long does a spray bottle last?
That varies by device, so ask the supplier about the lifespan of the electrode or cell and about the warranty. For EnozoPRO, Enozo gives 5,000 refills per bottle. In areas with hard tap water, lifespan also depends on limescale and maintenance.
In summary
- When you buy aqueous ozone, you buy a device, not a liquid. Look above all at the time between making the aqueous ozone and using it.
- Choose a spray bottle for the daily round with a cloth, a dispenser for buckets and floor scrubbers, and neither for treating a room through the air.
- Ask the supplier for the concentration, measurement method, maintenance and supporting evidence in writing, and compare on total cost per month.
Want to see how a spray bottle fits into your own daily round? Enozo can demonstrate EnozoPRO on your own surfaces. You can request a demo.
About this article: Enozo makes EnozoPRO, a spray bottle; this article compares types of device, not brands. Based on Enozo's product information and the sources linked in the text. More about the team behind Enozo. Last reviewed on 11 November 2026.
Written by Tom de Koster, Head of Research & Development at Enozo.
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