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

Careful selection of cleaning and disinfection tools can have a significant impact on the efficacy of the decontamination process, Williamson says. “According to research, the wiping material used can dramatically affect the amount of disinfecting agent that actually reaches the surface being cleaned,” she says. “For example, research has shown that when cotton rags and cellulose wipers (paper towels) are used with an open bucket of disinfecting solution (bleach or quaternary amines), the amount of active disinfecting agents actually reaching the surface to be cleaned can be as much as 53 percent less than the amount of actives in the original disinfectant solution. However, the research also showed that when a wiper is used that is specifically designed to be compatible with disinfecting/sanitizing chemicals like quats and bleach, and is contained in a closed-bucket system in which individual wipers are removed from a port in the top, a vastly higher percentage of chemicals are reaching the surface. The closed bucket system, combined with the disposable nature of the wipes, addresses CDC concerns that cleaning cloths can be a source of contamination, especially if left soaking in dirty cleaning solutions.”

Williamson continues, “APIC calls for the use of disposable cleaning cloths during environmental cleaning as a way to prevent and/or control multiple drug-resistant bacteria and notes that, for all environmental surface cleaning, cloths should be thoroughly moistened with disinfectant. APIC further cautions against returning a cloth to the bucket of disinfectant once it has been used to wipe surfaces as this may ‘promote increased environmental contamination and microbial spread.’”