Guide Contents
Antimicrobials can be found throughout your home.
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What types of antimicrobial products are available?
In the wake of a pandemic world, everybody is looking to be more hygienic. Whether that be
through increased hand washing and use of hand sanitisers, continuing adhering to social distancing,
keeping mask wearing, or in some cases looking further into what antimicrobial products are available.
You probably use some fo these already in your home and at your workplace, and it may even seem like the so-called ‘new normal’. The thought of entering a public place without being reminded to use hand sanitiser is a distant memory for many. But what else is there beyond the usual hand sanitisers (which can sometimes be the last thing you want to use if you’ve got your hands full!)
In this article, we’ll look at what antimicrobial solutions are available on the market and how each one can help combat the risk of infection in your day to day life.
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What are antimicrobial products?
Antimicrobials have been in use for many years in both a natural and man-made form. Bacteria, fungi and viruses are all both airborne and surface-transmissive infections. Using antimicrobial products can kill off these infections and prevent the growth of them, reducing the risk of getting ill.
Natural antimicrobial cleaning products, for example rosemary oils and tea extracts, are still in use today and are a fantastic substitute to modern products that many people still prefer due to their natural, organic properties.
Scientific advancements in recent years have seen new ways of reducing transmission from bacteria, fungi and viruses. Using new technology, metal ions such as silver and copper have become increasingly popular in antimicrobial products in the last few decades.
Silver ion technology works by attacking the DNA of the infections and destroying their biological make-up. This makes is impossible for the infection to grow and thus stop the spread of an infection wherever the ions are present. Silver ion technology is present in many products that an infection can thrive on. Most commonly, these are touch points used by multiple people such as door handles, push pads, basket handles and more.
SAFE WRAP™ Antibacterial Door Handle Wrap
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Antimicrobial vs Antibacterial
As the name suggests, antibacterials combat and reduce the growth of bacteria. They do not have any effect against viruses of fungi. Antivirals are effective against, you guessed it, viruses. So what does an antimicrobial work against? Luckily, they are an effective solution against everything. The technology outlined above works on bacteria, viruses and fungi, making them one of the most effective ways to keep hygiene levels high and infections low.
Being such an all-round solution, they are a great solution for in the home and in the workplace. The availability of antimicrobial cleaning products also makes them a perfect solution for people wanting to quickly protect their friends, family, or colleagues wherever they are used.
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What viruses can antimicrobials kill?
If a virus or bacteria lands on a surface that is protected with antimicrobials then you can expect it to be killed by the technology. Being an umbrella term that defends against most infections, antimicrobial cleaning products see high effectiveness rates.
Antimicrobial products from Veraco can reduce the growth and spread of bacteria and viruses by up to 99.99% with the viral load of HCoV-229E reduced by up to 99.87% & SARS-CoV-2 by up to 97.49%.
Many antimicrobial products claim to be effective against certain viruses on the packaging, such as being ‘effective against norovirus’. If this is the case, then expect the product to have the properties that allow it to kill the virus and prevent further growth on the surface it is applied to.
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Where are antimicrobials most effective?
Antimicrobial products are effective in many different places depending on what method is used. It goes without saying that hand sanitiser will be effective for small one off uses with a small number of people, but if you’ve got the entrance to an office block with 20 plus people trafficking through each morning, hand sanitiser may be a less effective option due to consistent refills and slow use.
Many businesses with high traffic areas commonly use antimicrobial products to sanitise touch points. These are areas that people regularly come into contact with such as door handles and push buttons. Surface transmission is known to be high in these areas and antimicrobial technology is an important way of combatting infection in these places using silver ion technology.
Regular cleaning of these surfaces can cleanse the area at that moment in time, but the gaps between the cleaning can give time for bacteria and viruses to grow, multiply, and spread. Silver ion antimicrobial technology works 24/7 and kills infection when cleaning can’t.
This makes the antimicrobials most effective in situations where regular cleaning can’t always be achieved and human contact is a regular occurrence.
Veraco’s Safe Pads and Safe Wraps are popular products to use in these situations. They work 24/7 to tackle infection and last for one a full year, making replacements not a worry and regular cleaning no longer required.
SAFE PAD™ Antibacterial Door Push Pad
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Are antimicrobial products safe?
Many people question the safety of antimicrobial technology and whether is can inflict harm on themselves, or even pets. If used in accordance with the manufacture guidelines and safety instructions then there is no harm that can be caused by antimicrobial cleaning products.
Pathogens can be controlled without risk to humans or pets. As with any cleaning products however, some antimicrobials such as hand soaps or sanitisers can cause harm if used incorrectly or in large quantities, however regular use provides no harm.
Silver ion technology and antimicrobial touch points provide even less risk than regular hand sanitisers, making them safer for use around greater numbers of people in more crowded locations.
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Where can you find antimicrobial products?
Any relevant shop, online or brick and mortar, will likely be selling some kind of antimicrobial product. Hand sanitisers and hand soaps are a common sigh in supermarkets, with some larger shops selling a greater range of natural and manufactures soaps so there is choice for everybody.
Antimicrobial products tailored for touch points however are more likely to be found online. Veraco has a range of products suited for many different locations to prevent the growth of infection.
- Safe Pad is the optimum solution for push doors that’s quick and easy to install, as well as being a long-lasting effective solution for workplaces and commercial buildings alike.
- Safe Wrap provides the best answer for keeping pull door handles, hand rails, and other pole-like surfaces safe from pathogens. Like Safe Pad, they are a long-lasting product capable of reducing the growth of infections by up to 99.99%, 24/7.
- Safe Screen is an antibacterial cover for touch screens such as those found in fast food restaurants.
The full range of antimicrobial products offered by Veraco can be found here. Each product works 24/7 and is guaranteed to last for over a year before requiring a replacement.
