Decreased activity of commercially available disinfectants containing quaternary ammonium compounds when exposed to cotton towels

Quaternary Ammonium Disinfectant Issues Encountered in an Environmental Services Department

“…Unlike previous studies, the Quat disinfectant used in the current study differed from that used by Engelbrecht et al, 5 and it was likely different than that used by MacDougall et al 2 Furthermore, the microfiber wipers we used were from a different manufacturer than those tested by Engelbrecht et al 5 Despite these differences, our results confirm and extend the findings reported in a few previous studies demonstrating binding of Quat disinfectants to various wiping materials. 2,5 Differences between our results and the findings of others may be explained by the disinfectant chemical composition, pH, and the degree of positive charge of the disinfectant product being evaluated. Furthermore, the composition of microfiber wipers may affect the degree of binding of Quat-based disinfectants.…”

Pathogen transfer and high variability in pathogen removal by detergent wipes

“…Furthermore the formulation of the detergent and its compatibility with the nonwoven material may influence the efficacy of the wipe as seen with cotton towels and disinfectant-based cleaners. 27 Although all detergent wipes tested removed microbial bioburden from a stainless steel surface, they repeatedly transferred a large amount of bacteria/spores on 3 consecutive transfers. Only wipe G performed better than the others with the vegetative bacteria, where no transfer was detected.…”

Long-term efficacy of a self-disinfecting coating in an intensive care unit

“…In addition, application of disinfectants needs to be closely monitored, because cleaning cloths may reduce the effective concentration during actual use by cleaning crews. 4 Selfdisinfecting surfaces that act against microbes on a continuing basis would specifically address these limitations in current cleaning and disinfecting practices. 5 Recently, copper surfaces have been shown to reduce the rate of occurrence of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) colonization of patients in ICU rooms, as well as the numbers of the organisms on surfaces.…”