Antibacterial wipes have risen dramatically in popularity, with demand accelerated by the threat of Covid-19 and the need to cut cross-contamination and kill viruses.
This has led to users looking for multipurpose antibacterial wipes which they can use on a variety of surfaces to kill the bacteria and viruses living there.
However, sometimes it’s important to use specialist antibacterial or antiviral wipes to get the job done properly – in this article we’ll look at why professional antibacterial wipes may be favoured over other generic multipurpose wipes for certain environments, and outline some of the popular environments in which they’re used.
Where antibacterial wipes are commonly used
Hospitals & Clinical Settings
Possibly the most important areas for specialist, professional grade wipes are hospital and clinical environments, due to the variety of different bacteria and viruses and the volume of people. Highly tested and effective antibacterial and virucidal wipes are most commonly used here to kill germs on surfaces and avoid cross-contamination or spreading of illnesses.
Specialist wipes such as our Midi-Wipe Clinical wipes are specially formulated for high infection risk areas, with advanced technology enabling them to be effective within 30 seconds and some of the highest EN accreditation available.
The fast kill rate is important for these areas as it reduces the chance of picking up illnesses by touching a surface shortly after it’s been cleaned – inferior cleaning products can have much longer kill times, dramatically reducing their effectiveness.
Antibacterial wipes are far superior to traditional spray and wipe cleaning methods where cleaners spray chemical onto a surface and wipe it over the surface, as this often has the effect of simply pushing the germs around the surface, and the danger of cross-contamination is greatly increased as the same cloth is often used for several surfaces, transferring germs from one surface to the next.
In the home
Another area where antibacterial wipes are commonly used is the home environment. In this instance though, domestic antibacterial wipes are commonly used as these are more readily available from supermarkets and other retailers.
Often making a big deal of killing 99.9% of germs and with high perfume content, these household brands have gained popularity through marketing to the home user and consumer market.
However, these wipes are often largely ineffective if not used properly. For example, a 99.9% bacteria kill rate will kill 100x less bacteria than most professionally tested wipes, and the contact time on these inferior products is often extremely long – if the surface is not kept covered with the cleaning agent for the entire time (often up to 15 mins), they won’t kill the germs stated.
That’s why it’s best to use professional grade specialist cleaning wipes when possible, so you know your home surfaces are safe and free from germs.
Commercial & Retail Spaces
Commercial and retail spaces are an interesting study due to the extremely high-traffic nature of those environments. Often with tight budgets and an emphasis on speed and time saving, cleaning is often done to a low standard.
Traditionally, this has been an area where sprays and cloths were used, but with higher risks of dangerous infections in recent months, professional wipes are becoming the norm.
One of the big benefits for this industry is the time saved from using wipes – so what are disinfectant wipes made of that makes them so effective? Specially designed material impregnated with an effective cleaning chemical that is released at the correct rate to kill the germs on the surface. This helps cleaners to get the job done properly and quickly.
Our Midi-Wipe range of wipes is also colour-coded to the British Institute of Cleaning Science system of colour-coded cleaning, making it easy to identify the correct specialist product for the area being cleaned. The wipes are individually folded into the pack, dispensing 1 at a time – some commonly used wipes in tubs are on a perforated roll, so users often tend to use more wipes than required, increasing wastage and cost.
