The concept of an electrostatic sprayer is simple: Charge cleaning particles so that they completely cover the object you want to disinfect. The Ryobi Cordless Electrostatic Sprayer achieves this on an 18V battery platform. This gives you more freedom of movement so you're not tethered to an outlet. We used both the Ryobi PSP02K 1-liter handheld model and the Ryobi P2870 1-gallon backpack electrostatic sprayer to see how they fared in a local church nursery.
Electrostatic vs traditional spraying
Each member of the Ryobi 18V Cordless Electrostatic Sprayer family uses battery power to recharge your cleaner and sanitizer pellets. You might ask, why do you need positively charged particles?
Because the charged cleaner particles stick to all surfaces, they provide better coverage than traditional sprayers. Those only reach the areas where the initial spray fell.
Electrostatic spraying charges the particles. This creates a nice "static adhesion". It makes the particles adhere better and more completely to the surface you spray.
As shown above, your traditional sprayer sprays a wide cone of cleaning solution. You'll achieve what you mean, but you'll also spray things around it, and you can be more efficient in your application.
With electrostatic spraying, you get a more directional spray with coverage around your target. This also saves you time and money by spraying material more efficiently.
Ryobi PSP02K Handheld Electrostatic Sprayer Kit
Since we're dealing with a room full of toys and surfaces each week at the nursery, a handheld electrostatic sprayer unit makes the most sense. For this, we mainly turn to Ryobi PSP02K.
The tool weighs a little over 6-1/2 lbs when filled. It seems to be perfect for quick and easy spraying of disinfectants, cleaners and deodorizers. The idea is to use it when you don't need a lot of spray material. The PSP02K features an onboard 1 liter translucent water tank which helps keep this electrostatic sprayer light and maneuverable.
The water tank is secured just below the tool – this is where you usually expect to find the batteries. The tool also supports larger tanks if you find your job requires more capacity to help you. It can be easily attached and detached by the metal buckle.
what to use in an electrostatic sprayer
We've infused the sprayer with Vital Oxide sanitizer, which is ideal for disinfection, mold remediation, and commercial use in kitchen facilities and hospitals. It kills 99.9% of germs and sanitizes 99.999% of germs on food contact surfaces without rinsing.
When we sanitize toys that children will touch and handle, we want a product that is food safe. Since this is a nursery, we also know that kids love to put everything in their mouths. Using safe food grade products is our top priority!
As a neat sidebar, Vital Oxide also works to eliminate odors at the molecular level, rather than masking them with fragrance. For disinfection, we used 100% strength, undiluted. A gallon is about $38, but you can also buy in bulk at a discount.
Ryobi PSP02K runtime and usage
To get it up and running, we simply filled the tank with sanitizer, set the front dial to the "Prime" setting and pulled the trigger. The system spits out some fluid and stops automatically. At that point, we switch the dial to spray mode 1 and start spraying.
With the included 2.0Ah battery, the Ryobi PSP02K Electrostatic Sprayer can run almost forever. We mean up to 60 tanks per charge. Do some quick conversions and it's almost 16 gallons! We charge the battery basically once a month just because it seems like a good idea.
You also have a variety of options when it comes to coverage and spray distance. The 3-in-1 adjustable nozzle selector lets you choose between 50, 75 and 100 micron droplet sizes. Ryobi labels them Spray 1, Spray 2, and Spray 3. We're used to the low, medium, and high tabs we find on their other sprayers, but Ryobi allows the user to place whatever nozzle size they want in each space. They also sell replacement nozzles so customers can use the same degree or two 50 micron and one 100 micron nozzles if needed.
We mostly stick with 50 microns. The PSP02K can spray up to 5 feet away, so you don't have to stand over the product you plan to sanitize either.
Author's Note: As a reminder, this is not a "vaping" product. It is indeed spray. This means you don't want to use it on surfaces that you don't want to get wet. We recommend sticking to non-porous surfaces like plastic and metal, the idea is to coat with a good disinfectant and let air dry. BTW, Ryobi does make a mister/sprayer for insecticides.
For the price, the kit version of this sprayer gives you the best bang for your buck. You can get a 2.0Ah battery and a charger for just $30 more than the bare-bones price.
Ryobi Handheld Electrostatic Sprayer
- Model: Ryobi PSP02K
- Capacity: 1 liter
- Spray Distance: Up to 5 feet.
- Droplet size: 50-100 microns
- Battery: 2.0Ah (included in the kit)
- Run time: 60 cans per charge (2.0Ah battery)
- Weight: 4.3 lbs. (empty), 6.6 lb (full)
- Price: $349 (kit), $319 (tools only)
Ryobi P2870 1 Gallon Knapsack Electrostatic Sprayer
For larger, more time-consuming sanitization, you can opt for the Ryobi P2870 1-Gallon Knapsack Electrostatic Sprayer. It has a translucent 1 gallon tank that you can throw on your back.
Again, you'll also see an adjustable nozzle selector on the P2870, but this time, you can choose between 65, 85 and 160 micron droplets. It marks this as low, medium and high. It uses a similar trigger mechanism and can eject material from up to 10 feet away.
We like the dual-ended quick connects on the tool and the 1-gallon bottle. You don't have to waste time unscrewing the hose when it's time to refill or place tools.
This model can run up to 30 gallons per charge when using only one of the two matching 2.0Ah batteries. We haven't used it long enough to justify that claim. What we can say, however, is that most people should get near-continuous use by cycling through the two included 2.0Ah batteries.
Ryobi 1 Gallon Electrostatic Sprayer
- Model: Ryobi P2870
- Capacity: 1 Gallon Backpack Tank
- Spray Distance: 2-10 feet.
- Droplet size: 65, 85 or 160 microns
- Batteries: 2 x 2.0Ah (included in the kit)
- Run time: Up to 30 gallons per charge (2.0Ah battery)
- Weight: 7.2 lbs
- Price: $429 (kit)
Ryobi P2890 1/2 Gallon 18V Electrostatic Sprayer
The last Ryobi electrostatic sprayer we want to mention is the Ryobi P2890 1/2 Gallon Sprayer. The tool also runs on the brand's 18V ONE+ battery platform and gives you some extra capacity in handheld form.
You can activate the electrostatic charging function with a simple on/off switch. The trigger then activates the sprayer. Using the companion 2.0Ah battery, Ryobi tells us the P2890 can spray up to 30 gallons of water on a single charge. This is approximately double the capacity of the 1 liter Ryobi PSP02K. It keeps the tool in line with a backpack sprayer, but without the tether hose.
It also has a 3-in-1 adjustable nozzle selector that lets you choose from three different spray patterns. The rotating nozzle switches between 65 micron droplets up to 2 feet away, 85 micron droplets up to 5 feet away, and 160 micron droplets up to 10 feet away. Ryobi labels these modes as low, medium and high.
With its 1/2 gallon water tank, the P2890 should provide the extra capacity you need without the complications of a backpack design. The trade off is carrying that weight in your hands. We like this option because it's $80 less than the price of the P2870 backpack model. You can choose to sacrifice some capacity and one of the 2Ah batteries for a larger, more powerful handheld solution.
Ryobi 1/2 Gallon Electrostatic Sprayer
- Model: Rima P2890
- Capacity: 1/2 gallon
- Spray Distance: Up to 10 feet.
- Droplet size: 65, 85 or 160 microns
- Run time: Up to 30 gallons per charge (2.0Ah battery)
- Weight: 7.2 lbs.
- Price: $349
our thoughts
Apparently, our use of this includes sanitizing a lot of toys in church nurseries. You can use it for anything from sanitizing the dining room at the end of the evening to spraying the entire school bus between pick-ups.
The fact that Ryobi gives you options in capacity, output, and form factor means they've done a good job entering the space. Ryobi continues to surprise us with its wide range of products. It could easily be the almost ubiquitous provider of wireless technology for home and business owners alike.
We highly recommend these sprayers as a great alternative to manually wiping surfaces. The electrostatic function makes it more effective. Combined with the company's 3-year warranty and reasonable cost of entry, we highly recommend these electrostatic sprayers to anyone looking to save time when sanitizing and cleaning.