Nevada schools first in nation to use high-tech disinfection equipment through generosity of local foundation

Due to the generosity of the Pennington Foundation, schools in Western and Northern Nevada are the first in the country to utilize this high-end disinfection equipment.

The Pennington Foundation has funded the purchase of hundreds of SaniCart and ClensAir disinfection equipment, which has helped over eight school districts in Nevada. This is high-tech equipment was originally manufactured for the AgTech and Food Safety industries, but was quickly pivoted to be used in public spaces when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US. Even after the pandemic is gone, this equipment will help students and teachers stay safe from other infections such as the common cold and the flu.

This equipment is also being used in Boys and Girls Clubs throughout Nevada, so when students go to the B&G Clubs after school, they continue to remain safe. With the introduction of this equipment to schools and youth organizations in Nevada, this equipment is now being marketed and used in schools and youth centers across the country.

SaniCart is a wheeled unit that can be used with several disinfecting agents to deliver air and surface sanitization. The SaniCart emits a dry fog of disinfectant that leaves no moisture behind. This spray basically covers the entire room, cleaning surfaces, and disinfecting the air. You have disinfectant settling on all the surfaces, underneath, behind, and in between. Nothing is left untouched.

ClensAir is an air purifying system that uses a six-stage air sanitization process including technology that was developed for NASA. The unit consisting of particulate and antimicrobial filters, UV and photocatalytic lamps, an odor control filter, and a surface decontaminant. Independent lab tests have shown ClensAir to be over 99.9-percent effective in removing viruses and bacteria.

Lyon County School District in Nevada is one of numerous school Nevada districts with Aguair sanitization equipment. Harman Bains, Director of Business Services was impressed with the disinfection capabilities of SaniCart as the unit can be rolled around school buildings to sanitize air and surfaces with a dry micro-fog. With no need to wipe down surfaces after using SaniCart, Bains says, “The convenience aspect of SaniCart is huge.”

Boys and Girls Club centers across the country have also purchased SaniCart. Mike Wurm, Executive Director of Boys and Girls Club locations where SaniCart is being used says, “Because of the dry-fog, we are no longer worried about electronics getting wet in our computer labs when we sanitize.”

When the pandemic began, his staff would bleach down all surfaces in their daycare centers every two hours. “With SaniCart, you roll in the machine and completely sanitize everything in the room in just 20 minutes. The science behind the fogging machine gets the disinfectant on every surface … We initially had a whole layer of staff disinfecting, now we just have one person working the SaniCart,” says Wurm.

Many school districts have also purchased ClensAir air purifiers for each of their nurse’s offices. Combining six technologies into one, ClensAir provides the most efficient air flow and pathogen inactivation in indoor spaces. “We placed ClensAir™ above doors to keep the air clean, as kids who might not be feeling well come in and out of the nurse’s offices,” adds Harman.

School districts around the country are even looking to equip each classroom with a ClensAir unit. This could prevent airborne spread of bacteria and viruses and help keep teachers and students stay safe, thereby ensuring that schools are able to remain open.

With limited budget for this unexpected capital purchase, schools are seeking government and private funding. Harman thanks the Pennington Foundation for providing funding for his school district to purchase SaniCart and ClensAir. He says, “The foundation’s generosity will not only help fight this pandemic in our schools today but will continue to make a positive impact on our students’ lives for years and even decades to come.”