Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes are pre-moistened, disposable towelettes that clean and disinfect non-porous surfaces such as laminates, enamel, tile, and stainless steel, and may be used to clean toilet seats, countertops, faucets, showers, bathtubs, telephones, diaper pails, baby changing areas, pet areas and TV remote controls.

 

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The wipes are easy to use and dispose of when the job is complete and they disinfect (when used as directed) up to 99.9% of Staph and Salmonella, and also target cold and flu viruses. The ability to kill or deactivate both bacteria and viruses is important, since common antibacterial products do not generally destroy viruses.

Two issues to consider here are:

1) The efficiency of the wipes concept
2) The effectiveness of a disinfectant wipe

Efficiency of Wipes

Personally, we think disposable wipes can be a big time saver, when you consider that you just use and dispose of them. A bachelor we know loves the convenience of dispensing, cleaning with and disposing of the wipe without having to wash rags or sponges.

Also, since they can be conveniently kept, and are ready, at the point of use, they make it easier to keep up with cleaning and to have other users of the space clean up after themselves.

Like other throwaway products, wipes end up in landfills; however, it should be pointed out that wipes offer benefits such as water and energy conservation that not only help the environment, but also reduce utility bills. As mentioned earlier, wipes are already pre-moistened with cleaner and are disposed of after use, so this reduces the need to use hot water to fill up a bucket, or clean and rinse sponges. Using less water means saving on the energy required to heat the water, which reduces pollution generated during energy production.

Effectiveness of a Disinfectant Wipe

Wipes can also prevent cross-contamination, since they are thrown away instead of laundered.

Another advantage of the pre-moistened wipe is that the cleaning and disinfecting ingredients are already properly mixed and ready to use, eliminating the danger of using improper dilutions when hand mixing cleaning solutions from concentrates.

Since the wipes do not contain much moisture, however, we wonder about the disinfecting properties. According to the Clorox Web site:

 

"To Disinfect: Wipe surface to be disinfected; use enough wipes for treated surface to remain visibly wet for 4 minutes. Let surface dry. For highly soiled surfaces, clean excess dirt first."

To maintain a wet surface for the full four minutes will likely require repeated application.

Granted, less virile germs will be killed even if the user does not keep the surface wet with the product for four minutes, so there is certainly a sanitary benefit, but consumers should be aware that they are not getting the full disinfecting power of the product unless used as directed.

Precleaning "highly soiled surfaces" is also necessary to disinfect properly, since science tells us that many types of soils will deactivate disinfectants. For example, some disinfectant labels state that disinfectants are only effective where the surface contains less than 5% soil "load". How many people thoroughly pre-clean such areas first? On the other hand, if people use wipes frequently to keep surfaces clean, then surfaces are likely to have less soil load, which means the wipes may provide full disinfecting power.

We are also curious about the residual killing power of the chemical left on the surface. Does the leftover chemical inhibit the growth of bacteria on the surface? According to Dr. Charles Gerba, Professor of Environmental Microbiology at the University of Arizona, this has not been determined.

What toxicity is there and how about the residue left on user's hands? When used according to the directions, Clorox disinfecting wipes are not expected to cause skin irritation or sensitization, said Dr. Gerba.

Conscientious handling of used wipes and observance of the instructions are necessary to keep this handy cleaning tool safe as well as effective.