Samhi C. – Staff Writer

skc5908@psu.edu

After graduating with a B.A. in Creative Writing from Penn State in 1973 and later earning his M.A. in Communications and English from Gannon University, David Heberle went on to work as a journalist for many years and then at Hammermill, a Pennsylvania paper company. After Hammermill was bought out by International Paper Co. Heberle was out of a job. He says he felt he was “not that old, not ready to just do nothing.”

Right when he needed the opportunity, he found that someone was selling a small laundromat called American Coin Laundry at 1821 E. 38th St., Erie. He says “I went and I looked at it and I liked it… Along the way I learned a lot… and made improvements.” A few years later, he bought a second laundromat at 1301 E. Grandview Blvd., Erie, PA. A little while after this, Heberle attended a seminar being held by an ozone washer distributor. He admits that at first he did not pay much attention, but eventually he did some additional research and, being someone who has always cared about the environment, realized the potential of ozone.

Ozone, or O3, or trioxide is a naturally occurring molecule in the Earth’s atmosphere. However, it’s not stable. In order to use ozone, chemists have to synthesize it on the ground by concentrating O2, or dioxide) via a high voltage connector. For those of you who are like me who had no clue what a “high voltage connector” is and how it actually converts dioxide into trioxide or ozone, hold on for this mini-chemistry lesson: Essentially, a high voltage connector is a device that allows electricity of high voltage to pass safely. An ozone generator is the specific type of high voltage connector used for this process. They may be small enough to hold in your hand or large enough to use for industrial operations. The energy that electricity generates is used to split apart dioxide molecules and then merge the individual oxygen atoms with each other to form trioxide molecules. Okay, end of mini-chemistry lesson.

After a stable ozone is synthesized it can be used in washers. According to Heberle’s research, “Ozone molecules grab onto soil or pathogens or whatever it is [then kills them or] puts them in suspension and spins them out.” 

You will then ask, well, what’s the difference between ozone washers and regular washers? Do they not both clean our clothes? Well, yes. However, OhZone washers do it more efficiently and in an environmentally-friendly way. Just as their motto says, they are “Greener and Cleaner.” Here’s how: 

1. Ozone washers are efficient with cold water which means the amount of electricity used to heat water is eliminated and so are the electricity costs associated with heating water. In fact, because of this some pro athlete teams use ozone washers since their uniforms require cold water, but with regular washers cold water does not nearly remove as many germs as they would like. 
2. Ozone washers require only 25 percent of the amount of laundry detergent used for regular

washers. This means that not only do we get to save money on laundry detergent but the effluent or liquid waste released has less bleach and chlorine and other chemicals that are harmful for the environment. Not to mention by buying less plastic containers of detergent, we also reduce the amount of plastic we dispose of. “Only maybe a third 

of them get recycled no matter what,” Heberle says. “You’ve seen the photos of people wading through [plastic] trash in the ocean and it’s horrible.” 

3. Using cold water and less detergent, ozone washers still return much healthier, cleaner, and more long-lasting clothes than regular washers. Heberle jokes that a friend of his tested the OhZone washers with some black-colored clothes and when he got them back he said “he never saw anything that black”. 

Heberle tells us to keep in mind though that we “can’t expect miracles” from ozone. It’s “not a cure-all.” If you have stains, you’ll need to pre-treat them like you would before using regular washers. If you have grease stains in particular, you will need to use hot water to get them out. 

It was a three-year project but “the [ozone washer] install [at the second laundromat] was completed last December, and [OhZone Laundry has] been running well to date, every day, about five minutes away from your campus” Heberle tells us. 

He also acquired the hardware store next to the laundromat, added utilities, and now rents the space out to a pizzeria, Sticks & Bricks Wood Fired Pizza, and an eco-friendly thrift store, Green Scene Thrift Store. Heberle asks Penn State Behrend students to check out the environmentally-friendly laundromat and invites us to grab a slice next door and visit the thrift store while we do. 

Below are the services that are offered at OhZone and the corresponding costs: 

Washers: 

• Two Dexter 80lb front loaders at $7.50/turn 
• One Dexter 60lb front loader at $6.50/turn 
• Two Dexter 40lb front loaders at $.4.50/turn 
• Two Dexter 30lb front loaders at $3.50/turn 
• Five Maytag 20lb high efficiency front loaders at $2.25/turn 
• Five Huebsch top loaders at $2.50/turn 

Dryers: 

• Ten Dexter 30lb stack dryers (each with two individual drums) at $0.25/8min/drum 

• One 80lb dryer at $0.25/5min 

Heberle has absorbed the cost of the ozone washer install, keeping his prices close to the average of regular washers, hoping that the affordability will attract customers. He understands that while many may have the desire to help the environment, often the expensiveness is a deterrent. He tells us, “What I’m trying to find is people who are interested in environmental stewardship… people who I think are the future and say here’s another way you can help.” 

For more information on OhZone Laundry, please visit their website: http://www.OhZoneLaundry.com.