Surface disinfection is always important and it has been at the forefront of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The advice from public health, scientific and governmental authorities has been to clean surfaces and hands frequently to break the chain of infection. In most settings the aim is to clean more often and more visibly to reassure customers, guests and staff while also providing the best possible protection against the virus. In this article, we explain how ready-to-use wipes are a good way to meet this challenge.
Disinfection properties and convenience
Choosing the right disinfectant is an important decision and there are a lot of different products on the market. As we have seen in other posts, there are several considerations before deciding which one to use.
It is always essential to ensure any product will be effective against the pathogens of concern. At the moment the one at the top of most people’s list is the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus, a class of virus that is generally easy to kill. Disinfectants with virucidal claims such as EN 14476 (either fully virucidal or limited virucidal or enveloped virus claim) will be effective against enveloped viruses. Oxivir wipes combine the convenience of a wipe with enhanced disinfection properties meeting the EN 14476 virucidal standard. They offer a more convenient, simpler, faster, and safer alternative to conventional products to clean and disinfect almost any hard surface.
Protecting Against Multiple Pathogens Including SARS-CoV-2
The active ingredient in Oxivir Wipes is called AHP or Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide. The disinfectant properties of hydrogen peroxide have been known for many years. It is an oxidising agent that binds to the walls of an organism and causes damage that quickly makes it die. AHP builds on this capability by combining low levels of hydrogen peroxide with a patented blend of commonly used, safe ingredients. This dramatically increases the disinfection potency and cleaning performance of the combined formulation.
Products containing AHP have been tested and shown to kill many viruses - including enveloped viruses - in 30 seconds. In fact, disinfectants containing AHP offer what is known as broad-spectrum protection: they are highly effective against a wide range of viruses, spores, yeasts, and fungi, including C. diff, MRSA, Norovirus, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This efficacy has been tested to the latest EN standards – including EN 14476 - and submitted into the Biocidal Products Regulations (BPR). All actives and disinfectants need to meet these standards.
Effective Against Coronavirus in 30 Seconds: Shorter Contact Times
Oxivir Wipes are effective against coronaviruses and many other viruses in 30 seconds. This is up to ten times faster than many ordinary disinfectants. In practical terms this means an Oxivir Wipe disinfects as it cleans during a single wipe across a surface. They are believed to be the only wipe on the market that combines this level of cleaning and disinfection in a single product.
All disinfectants are tested for their ability to reduce the number of pathogens of concern by a specified amount, as described by each particular standard. The time this takes is known as the contact time and it varies from disinfectant to disinfectant. Contact time must be realistically short so that pathogens are killed before the surface dries. Many products on the market are effective against enveloped viruses but only AHP offers full virucidal performance in realistic and practical contact times. It is the only commonly available technology where the drying time is longer than the contact time.
Simple and Safe to Use at Any Time
AHP’s ability to kill pathogens quickly makes Oxivir Wipes ideal for frequent cleaning. The user simply wipes the surface and moves on knowing that the disinfectant will work before it dries.
With an Oxivir Wipe, the product is always present at the correct concentration for effective disinfection. That means the right amount of disinfectant is wiped onto the surface for fast and effective performance every time. There is no need to wear PPE, take special precautions, rinse the surface, worry about preparing solutions, or using special equipment. Users simply wipe the surface and move on.
Oxivir Wipes are non-corrosive and non-irritating to the skin. They can be used without wearing PPE and carry no safety classification. Nor do they contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). This means they are safer to use in public spaces than products using alternative active ingredients or concentrated formulations. Because of this they are ideal when highly visible frequent cleaning will provide additional reassurance to customers, guests, and staff.
Suitable for Almost Every Hard Surface
The wipes are 100 percent safe to use on almost any surface which makes them ideal for any setting where high performance disinfection is essential. They are suitable for surfaces including stainless steel, chrome, vinyl, nylon fabrics, laminated surfaces, glass, rubber, and hard and flexible plastics such as polypropylene, polyurethane, polyethylene, PVC, acrylic, fibreglass and polycarbonate.
Sustainable Too
Using a ready-to-use wipe saves time because there is no need to worry about preparing solutions or using special equipment. Nor is any special training required. All of this can make a wipe a sustainable option for many applications.
Oxivir Wipes offer additional sustainability benefits. The active AHP ingredient breaks down to water and oxygen shortly after use which means no chemicals are left on the surface or released to the atmosphere. This helps make Oxivir Wipes a highly sustainable alternative to other types of cleaning chemicals or disinfectants.
Why Visible Cleaning is Important
The main purpose of cleaning and hygiene is to create an environment that is safe and pleasant. We know that people react to bad hygiene. In retail settings, for example, studies show that over half of people will buy less or nothing at all if they think a shop is dirty. Customers reduce their spend by an average of 45 per cent in supermarkets with a poor appearance. Around half of all customers won’t return to an unclean store. Different studies reveal similar behaviour in restaurants. Over one third (37 per cent) of people who enter a dirty restaurant will leave immediately and a further 23 per cent will order but leave before completing their meal, according to the research. Almost two thirds of these say they will never go back. The cleanliness of tables, including tablecloths, cutlery and floors were the three most significant factors in assessing the restaurant’s cleanliness and hygiene. In hotels, almost seventy per cent of hotel guests say that cleanliness and hygiene was the most important factor when making recommendations to friends and colleagues.
More About Infection Prevention During COVID-19
Diversey has created a comprehensive knowledge database called “Enhanced Cleaning and Disinfection During and Post-COVID-19”. This extensive library includes information about the virus and the processes and products that will be effective against it. It is designed to help facilities plan their cleaning operations create safer, cleaner and healthier environments as they continue their operations or reopen after lockdown.
Contents in this article are applicable for Europe. Please liaise with your local Diversey representative for further information.