What is the best fogger to use for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other harmful pathogens?
As I explained in my previous article, I have used many pump sprayers and foggers over the year in my business, but I have found foggers easily outperform pump sprayers. Foggers will save you time and product while thoroughly saturating rooms with millions of tiny disinfecting droplets of mist.
So what fogger is the best to get?
I have not used every product on the market, but I have tried several, and the two best, in my opinion, are the Hudson 99598 Fog Electric Atomizer Sprayer and the Smith Performance Sprayers Professional Electric Cold Fogger that are both available on Amazon. My preferred one is Hudson and the Smith Fogger is my second pick because it has a smaller tank to hold your liquid and seems to cover a smaller area and is less powerful, but it still does the job.
They both have their pros and cons, but since I need a slightly larger container to to to hold my Pure Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfecting Cleaner on bigger jobs, the Hudson makes it much easier for me to be more effective overall. However, some tanks on other brands are much larger and in my experience, they are harder to handle and much heavier to carry.
For example, my Hudson sprayer weighs approximately 12 pounds and when you add 1 gallon of disinfectant, that is an extra 10 pounds or so and when you add 2 gallons, you are now lugging 32 pounds around. If you are thinking about buying one with a 4-5 gallon tank, you will be carrying 60-70 pounds and that is just not smart and may cause a serious back injury.
Here are is a quick list of my pros and cons for each fogger so you can decide for yourself which is the best for you or to search for others that may better fit your needs.
HUDSON PROS:
It often holds more liquid (up to 2 gallons)
It is more powerful and can cover a larger area with a mist but can be hard to use for people who are not patient and or strong.
Much faster than pump sprayer.
Cons:
The bottom portion of the unit that carries the liquid tends to pop off due to failure to connect the metal securing bracket properly. Just take an extra minute to make sure that you have it on straight and that it is locked tightly in place.
You will find that the Hudson fogger is somewhat cumbersome, especially if it full, but it has a shoulder strap that you will need to help with the weight for larger fogging jobs. However, the strap is a little flimsy and can get uncomfortable if you use it a lot, so an easy fix is to buy a longer adjustable strap with a soft pad from Amazon. You can also use a janitor cart to wheel it around and place it upon when you fog, which makes it super simple and less physical.
The short hose makes it very difficult to spray anything above your head. However, you can improvise by using a desk or a ladder and setting it on top like I have done many times.
It can easily leak if slightly tipped over or if hose left on the ground, but all foggers have this problem. You will need an extension cord.
SMITH FOGGER:
The pros and cons of the Smith are very similar to the Hudson with just a few caveats so there is no need to repeat the same information.
Pros:
It is lighter than the Hudson and more comfortable to carry.
The top does not pop off like the Hudson
Cons:
It has a short hose like the Hudson, but as I said, you can improvise by using a desk or a ladder and setting it on top as you fog.
Like the Hudson, it can also leak if slightly tipped over or if hose left on the ground, but as I mentioned, all foggers have this issue.
It has been reported on Amazon to be defective after the first or a few uses.
Conclusion:
If you are going to be disinfecting a larger area and doing so repeatedly, a fogger is much more effective than a pump hand sprayer. They save you a lot of time, human power, and money on antimicrobials and sprays and do a much better job. The Hudson fogger is my top pick, but there are other foggers that you can use.
I recently had written an updated article on How To Use A Fogging Machine To Disinfect Your Home And Or Business Against The Coronavirus (COVID-19), where I go into more detail and list several other fogging machines.
Also, please don’t forget to purchase a gallon of our Pure Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfecting Cleaner for your next project. It is all-natural and 100% bio-degradable so it is safe fo humans, pets, and the environment. It is better and safer than chlorine bleach.