Room decontamination with hydrogen peroxide vapor
First Claim
1. A method for decontamination of a room which includes at least one of a carpet and soft furnishings comprising:
- introducing hydrogen peroxide in the form of a vapor to the room, and after a period of time sufficient to decontaminate the room, removing residual hydrogen peroxide including the sequential steps of;
removing hydrogen peroxide from the room to lower a hydrogen peroxide concentration in the room to a first concentration level; and
after the hydrogen peroxide concentration has reached the first level, operating a condensing-type dehumidifier until the hydrogen peroxide concentration reaches a second level, lower than the first level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for microbially and/or chemically decontaminating a room such as a hotel room includes a vapor generator which supplies a decontaminant vapor, such as hydrogen peroxide vapor to the room. The room is then aerated to a level at which it is safe for normal occupants to enter. By using a two step aeration, with a second step at lower humidity than the first, the concentration of residual hydrogen peroxide is reduced rapidly to safe levels of 1 ppm or less, typically about 0.5 ppm, in under four hours. The room is rendered substantially free of contaminants, such as those responsible for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Norwalk virus, and unpleasant odors.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for decontamination of a room which includes at least one of a carpet and soft furnishings comprising:
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introducing hydrogen peroxide in the form of a vapor to the room, and after a period of time sufficient to decontaminate the room, removing residual hydrogen peroxide including the sequential steps of;
removing hydrogen peroxide from the room to lower a hydrogen peroxide concentration in the room to a first concentration level; and
after the hydrogen peroxide concentration has reached the first level, operating a condensing-type dehumidifier until the hydrogen peroxide concentration reaches a second level, lower than the first level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for decontamination of an enclosure and items within the enclosure and for rendering the enclosure safe for human occupancy comprising:
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decontaminating the enclosure and items within the enclosure including;
introducing a decontaminant in the form of a vapor to the enclosure, and maintaining the decontaminant within the enclosure for a sufficient time to decontaminate the enclosure and items within the enclosure;
after the decontaminating step, removing decontaminant from the enclosure to a level at which it is safe for the enclosure to be occupied by a person, including;
condensing water and hydrogen peroxide from the room with a condenser only after the hydrogen peroxide concentration in the room has dropped below about half of the concentration of the decontaminant during the decontaminating step. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for periodically refreshing a hotel room to remove a stale odor comprising:
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introducing hydrogen peroxide vapor to the room;
maintaining hydrogen peroxide vapor in the room for a period of time sufficient to reduce the stale odor;
removing residual hydrogen peroxide from the room until a hydrogen peroxide concentration in the room reaches a first level;
reducing the humidity level in the room with a condenser;
removing hydrogen peroxide from the room until the hydrogen peroxide concentration reaches a second level lower than the first level, such that the hotel room is decontaminated in under about four hours.
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Specification