Squeaky Clean - The ins and outs of anti-microbial protection

Guide To Anti-Microbial Products

Technology relating to germs and bacteria has advanced hugely in recent years and nowadays a wide range of products feature anti-bacterial and anti-microbial materials that are specifically designed to prevent the growth of all types of bacteria, moulds, mildew, fungi and germs.

There’s a wide range of materials and technologies available. Some of these work by embedding disinfectant into plastics and other materials to inhibit the growth of microbes and bacteria, while others disrupt the growth of germs on a molecular level.

This technology is highly successful and independent tests reveal the most popular systems generally kill 99.9% of germs and infections, including E-Coli and MRSA, while being completely safe to humans. Plus, because these protective coatings are infused with the product during the manufacturing process, most don’t require any maintenance and will last for the duration of the product’s lifespan.

Another advantage of this type of technology is that it usually keeps stains, odours and even degradation at bay as well as having anti-fungal properties that prevent fungal growth should waste food come into contact with it.

This technology is ideal for environments that are considered high-risk in terms of germs and infections, such as schools, hospitals and the healthcare industry as a whole. Common workplace products that benefit from it include chairs, shelving, trolleys and lockers. There’s no doubt it can greatly improve hygiene in a huge range of workplaces and it looks set to be a big growth area, with growing numbers of products now adopting it.

In addition, similar technology can now be found across a wide range of consumer products including kitchen appliances, pet products, floor coverings and it’s even being used in clothing such as shoes and sportswear.

In most cases, to look at products featuring this technology, you’d never even realise there’s anything different or special about them, so the chances are you’ve already come into contact with it, without even realising.