Do Antibacterial Wipes Kill Viruses?
The risk of Coronavirus infection depends on many factors including the amount of virus shed and the type of surface the virus lands on. Current research shows that the virus can survive for up to 28 days on certain surfaces.
Identifying the types of surfaces in your facility, how often they are touched and what is the most appropriate disinfectant for each surface will help your business reinforce new cleaning processes to ensure safe working environment for your employees in the current pandemic.
High-touch surfaces require frequent cleaning and need be disinfected regularly using antibacterial wipes.
So can antibacterial wipes kill viruses?
Viruses can survive up to 9 days on certain surfaces
So can antibacterial wipes kill viruses. The short answer is – it’s complicated.
Some antibacterial wipes can be antiviral. Although the term antibacterial means prevents bacteria, most wipes are in fact antimicrobial meaning they contain active ingredients that can destroy or stop the growth of different types of microorganisms. The product label on the packaging should have the relevant information including the type of microorganisms the wipes are designed for.
For antiviral wipes, the label should include that the product either:
- Has virucidal activity, can kill viruses, or is effective against viruses.
- Or “conforms, complies or is tested to BS EN 14476”, meaning it has been tested in line with the UK and European Standards and has been shown to contain antiviral ingredients and kill viruses.
Not all antibacterial wipes can kill viruses
Some antibacterial wipes contain chemicals that are only effective against bacteria and have not been proved to eliminate or affect viruses. These wipes will contain in their product label a list of the different types of bacteria they are designed for and might include the number BS EN 1276 which means they have been tested and proven to kill bacteria. These are not recommended for use to prevent Coronavirus.
Many antibacterial wipes do not specify what microorganisms they are designed for, they are marketed as effective against 99% of germs. The term germs is very vague and can refer to bacteria, fungi or viruses. They may well contain chemicals that can kill or eliminate viruses. However, because there is no evident information about their efficacy of reducing or destroying viruses, it is better to assume that they won’t be effective.
Orca Antibacterial Wipes
We manufacture premium quality alcohol and water-based hand and surface antibacterial disinfectant wipes. There are several formulations available killing up to 99.999% bacteria and conforming to BS EN1276, BS EN1500 and BS EN14476 standards.