Experts Issue Reminders on Proper Usage of Wipes to Reduce Cross-Contamination

“To achieve effective contact time, the surface area needs to remain wet for the appropriate contact time,” emphasizes Tiffany Liss, marketing manager for Safetec of America, Inc. “A wipe that contains high amounts of alcohol dries and evaporates too quickly then doesn’t hold the effective kill time needed. You would then have to use several wipes to keep the surface wet to achieve the kill claims needed. Depending on the product, some products even after the alcohol has evaporated still leave an agent that is effective against the same microbes.” Liss adds, “Clinicians need to use only one wipe per one surface as shown by the Cardiff study; they need to use the disinfectant wipe one time then discard. The best rule to abide by when using a disinfecting wipe is: time/bactericide application + wait time + time + kill agent = reduction in microbes.”

A number of studies point to the longevity of pathogens on inanimate surfaces (Kramer, Schwebke and Kampf, 2006), but Maillard makes one distinction, “I don’t think there is an increased persistence of microorganisms on surfaces, but that we are able to measure more accurately the longevity of pathogens on surfaces. Research in this field is essential and highlights the need to control microbial contamination on surfaces. It has been well documented that surfaces, notably those proximal to patients, are involved in the spread of infection.”