feature disinfecting wipes
Buyer beware – not all disinfectant wipes are created equal
The demand for pre-saturated, disinfecting wipes has grown exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many new – and often untested – brands appearing in the market, the majority of which have little or no research behind their development in terms of the compatibility of the wipe substrate and fluid content.
A
ccording to Annette Devenish, marketing director at Infection Protection Products (IPP) the challenge with this is that a combination of two substrates can completely change the efficacy of a fluid which is why it is so important that a disinfecting product’s entire formula is tested, rather than only the active ingredient. Through its now well-known sanitouch brand, IPP was the first company
18
African Cleaning Review July/August 2021
in South Africa to introduce trolley wipes to the local market in 2006. Its wipes are manufactured with a tried and tested detergent disinfectant solution which deactivates and kills any micro-organisms, including the coronavirus. The detergent solution includes a potent soap content which, according to the World Health Organization and scientists around the world, dissolves the fat membrane of the coronavirus which renders it inactive.
Scientist Bernard Reeksting maintains that a disinfecting wipe such as sani-touch’s trolley wipes are more effective than sanitiser spray to protect against the transmission of the coronavirus. Even if the sanitiser includes an acceptable alcohol content, a spray will only act as a wash-down given its wide and rather erratic distribution. The sani-touch wipes physically
