Posted on 18/11/2020

Are Anti-Bacterial Wet Wipes as Effective as Hand Sanitizers?

Anti-bacterial wet wipes vs Hand sanitisers? Effectiveness and Comfortability 

There should be no doubt that good hand hygiene is essential to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses, such as the new coronavirus, COVID-19. Hands hygiene can be achieved through hand washing, antiseptic hand rubs, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, foams, gels, and anti-bacterial wet wipes. 

Typically, traditional handwashing with soap and water is what health professionals recommend for an effective cleaning method. However, in some circumstances, you might not have access to a handwashing facility.

Hence the question, which method of hand sanitising is more effective for on-the-go use? Keep on reading to find out some interesting aspects of hand hygiene. 

Cleaning, Sanitizing or Disinfecting? Know the difference!

In general, cleaning refers to removing dirt or any other impurities from a surface, while sanitising and disinfecting go beyond this and eliminate harmful bacteria. Knowing the difference between the above-mentioned cleaning terms can contribute to the safe and effective use of hygiene and cleaning products. 

  • While cleaning removes germs, dirt, and other impurities from surfaces, it does not necessarily kill them
  • Sanitising eliminates germs from surfaces and objects, by either cleaning them or removing them, all to a safe level in accordance with public health standards and requirements. 
  • Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces and objects. 

Unlike sanitising, disinfecting will typically not be a common part of your cleaning routine. It will rather be used for more serious cases when bodily fluids are involved. 

This means that the uses of sanitisers and disinfectants should be different depending on factors like personal hygiene use, and household cleaning. 

What makes Anti-bacterial wet wipes effective:  

Let’s begin with understanding what anti-bacterial wet wipes actually are. 

Anti-bacterial wet wipes are disposable, single-use wipes pre-soaked in a solution, containing disinfecting ingredients such as sodium hypochlorite, quaternary ammonium, and hydrogen peroxide.

As far as for the regulation of wet wipes it is important to note that the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia regulates

  • alcohol swab (with an antiseptic claim) as an over the counter medicine;
  • alcohol swab (with no claims other than cleaning skin) as a medical device.

Typically, hard surface disinfecting wipes destroy fungi, bacteria, and viruses in 10 minutes or less, while also preventing new bacteria from forming.  With that said, they are also effective in preventing cross-contamination that can contribute to mass outbreaks in various industries. 

Typically, the percentage of alcohol in alcohol-based hand wipes should be greater than 60% and should be in the form of ethanol or propanol for its most effective use. 

In general, anti-bacterial wipes are really effective for high-traffic areas. If you are considering using those in offices, ready to use wipes with a strong substrate can disinfect greater surface areas with the use of fewer wipes, hence reducing costs and ensuring better value for facilities and employees. With the use of the right disinfecting wipes with the fastest kill times, commercial facilities and offices can ensure a clean and safe environment for their staff at a reasonable cost.

Moreover, hand and surface, as well as sensitive skin wipes are wonderful waterless sanitising solutions for protection in between washroom visits. 

Anti-bacterial hand sanitiser wipes are more convenient to carry around, compared to their liquid counterparts. There’s a risk of gels spilling out of their containers and leaking in clothing or bags, which you can prevent with the use of wet wipes.

Do antibacterial wipes kill viruses?

At this point, you probably stopped counting on how long the pandemic and subsequent quarantine have been going on. Probably, you also cannot imagine your life without all the cleaning and disinfecting products. However, when it comes to products that directly affect our health we should be really careful in choosing products having the right ingredients and following the instructions of use of each product.

There can be various types of hand surface wipes, like sanitising ones, disinfecting ones, or two in one hand surface wipes. 

Typically, hard surface sanitiser wipes reduce 99.99 percent of bacteria on surfaces within a time period of 30 seconds to 5 minutes. On the other hand, hard surface disinfecting wipes destroy bacteria, fungi and viruses in 10 minutes or less, while also preventing new bacteria from forming. In comparison, disinfecting wipes take longer to work but are more effective in eliminating germs and bacteria. That is why they are great at preventing cross-contamination as previously stated.

In general, disinfecting wipes are also commonly used in healthcare settings, where 100% certainly is required for inactivating or destroying viruses and fungi. 

We highly recommend to always read the package labels before the use of any type of sanitising or disinfecting wipes.

Reasons to choose wet wipes over hand sanitiser

Consider using wet wipes over hand sanitisers for the following reasons. 

  • Disinfecting hand wipes have longer-lasting effects of preventing bacteria spread than the effects of using hand sanitisers. 
  • Hand sanitisers do not 100% kill germs and bacteria. 
  • Alcohol-based hand wipes work by destabilizing the cells of viruses and bacteria, thereby destroying and inactivating 99,9% of them.

Most health experts recommend traditional hand washing when it comes to protecting your health from bacteria and germs. Unfortunately, that could not always be an available option. 

While hand sanitisers that contain 60% and higher alcohol percentage can be really effective in preventing the spread of viruses, in many cases the use of disinfecting and sanitising wipes can be both more effective and convenient. 

No matter what your need is, Hospeco is proud to provide you with high-quality hygiene products that will help you stay healthy and protect yourself and your environment from harmful bacteria and viruses. 

Make sure to check our products and make a purchase today! Contact us today for further details!

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