In the wake of the Novel Coronavirus, care and cleaning of furnishings in hospitals and medical facilities has enhanced, with a stronger emphasis on the disinfection and sterilization of these environments. The need to clean upholstery surfaces with Bleach and other disinfectants is becoming standard practice, and upholstery materials need to be built to withstand daily disinfection.
At Novum Medical, we pride ourselves in fitting our iSeries Recliner Line with fabrics that are engineered to perform, including the manner to which they stand up to regular cleaning and disinfection. We have received numerous questions from customers and end-users pertaining to the best methods of care, cleaning and disinfection that will assist in minimizing the spread of COVID 19 and other diseases. Here are some of those questions, with our answers:
Q: Are there any products that kill the Coronavirus / COVID 19 virus on contact?
A: Our iSeries Recliners use fabrics that are inherently anti-bacterial and/or anti-microbial which inhibit microbial growth. At this point, this may also inhibit COVID-19 but since the pathogen is not available for testing it cannot definitively be determined yet. In addition to the lack of availability of testing, the CDC has not definitively been able to determine how long this pathogen remains active on different surfaces.
Q: Should we be Sanitizing or Disinfecting? What is the difference?
A: Sanitizing is generally gentler than disinfecting. So, while sanitizing refers to lowering the number of germs by cleaning, disinfecting itself refers to killing nearly 100 percent of germs on surfaces or objects. According to the CDC to minimize the risk of spread of COVID-19 surfaces must be disinfected.
Q: What is the recommended disinfecting solution to protect from COVID-19?
A: The most used disinfection agent is diluted bleach (10:1) or isopropyl alcohol (70% solution) and there are many commercial cleaners and disinfectants available that are also suitable.
A list of EPA approved products can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2
Q: Are there recommended care, cleaning and disinfection instructions for upholstered surfaces?
A: If you are concerned about properly disinfecting for coronavirus while also limiting the use of hazardous disinfectants, here is a primer on how to safely clean and disinfect your space.
CLEAN FIRST, THEN DISINFECT
According to the CDC, one critical step for preventing illness includes both cleaning and disinfecting the spaces where you spend your time. We recommend the following procedure to effectively clean and disinfect upholstery and other interior surfaces:
1. Clean the surface with a detergent or general-purpose cleaner. Cleaning is an important first step to the process because it physically removes soil, organic matter, and many germs from the surface.
2. Rinse the surface with clean water or wipe down with water.
3. Disinfection should always take place last, to ensure that any germs leftover after cleaning are destroyed. Disinfectants are not as effective when applied directly to dirty surfaces, because germs and viruses can hide under soils.
4. It is important to follow the label use directions for enveloped viruses, which is the category that COVID-19 falls under. Disinfectants have varying contact times, ranging from 30 seconds up to 15 minutes, which means that the disinfectant needs to be left wet on the surface for the specified amount of time to kill the targeted types of germs.
5. In order to protect the longevity of the upholstery material, it is important to rinse or wipe the material with fresh water, after the suggested contact period.
Call us at 1 (800) 274-2742 to learn more, or for more information!