Kevin Zogby, Chief Operating Officer of Path-Guard Dry Fog, now sold out of Holly Springs, said what makes the product unique in fighting the novel coronavirus is the combination of the organic-based solution and the dry fogger itself.
"I literally got my hands on the units about three weeks ago," he said at Bentwinds Golf and Country Club in Fuquay-Varina where he said staff have started using Path-Guard Dry Fog around the swimming pool.
"Before, they were wiping down--closing the pool down for 45 minutes in between the two-hour sessions," he said. "They were wiping off the tables, wiping off the furniture. Now with this, they can go through and spray and do it in about a tenth of the time it took them before."
RELATED: Is it safe to go swimming in a pool during the coronavirus pandemic?
Wearing a disposable face mask as his only protective equipment, Zogby demonstrated how the fogger works, strapping on the backpack unit and holding the fogging nozzle in the air, spraying micron-sized droplets across a room.
Zogby said the technology allows for the organic, plant-based solution to stay suspended in the air for up to 24 hours. Then, through a process called agglomeration, like-sized water droplets and airborne particles--like viruses and bacteria--collide and stick together. The now-larger particles then become too heavy to remain suspended in the air.
"With people going back to work, people going back to school, there's a lot of 'what ifs' out there, and I think this product is great because there's no toxic chemicals," Zogby said. "People aren't going to be afraid to walk into a room after it's been sprayed."
Greensboro's Sedgefield Country Club, host to the Wyndham Championship, will be using the Path-Guard Dry Fog during championship week next month, according Beverly Marler, General Manager. She said the maintenance crew purchased a unit and have already been using it on the property.
The solution, Path-Away Anti-Pathogenic Aerosol Solution, has been manufactured in South Carolina for nearly 15 years, Zogby said, and was already proven to work against 170 pathogens including H1N1 and influenza. It's exempt from registration through the Environmental Protection Agency because it qualifies as a minimum risk pesticide.
As the coronavirus pandemic emerged, the solution manufacturer, Global Infection Control Consultants, had it lab-tested. Documents show it was successful in killing COVID-19 in the lab.
RELATED: Imagine having a light on your phone that disinfects surfaces? This NC State researcher is developing a way
"From my personal experience, it made me feel comfortable that I can walk around my house without having to worry about catching COVID," said Zogby, who said his own son tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after he received his first batch of the dry foggers.
"I sprayed my house every day for 14 days," he said.
With his son recovered, Zogby is hoping to work mostly with small businesses.
The cost of treating a home, he said, could run anywhere between $300-$500, but Zogby wants to sell the product to carpet cleaning, commercial cleaning and pressure washing companies to help them expand their business.