Cleansing wipes are an essential part of the PPE (personal protective equipment) you should have on hand when working in an environment where this is a risk of exposure to infectious diseases like COVID-19. They’re also helpful in kitchen environments where raw meat is handled.
To use disinfectant wipes effectively, you must understand when to use them, how to use them, and where to buy reliable products.
When and How to Use Disinfectant Wipes
Sanitization wipes are a useful tool in combating the spread of germs in the workplace. Whether you work in a medical setting or an office space, encouraging staff members to use company-provided free wipes can go a long way to improve workplace safety and hygiene.
Having staff members wipe down their workstations between uses is a valuable way to ensure there is no cross-contamination between employees, even if someone is sick. However, most people misuse cleaning wipes, lowering their efficacy.
Depending on what surface you’re disinfecting, Lysol or Clorox wipes direct the user to leave the surface wet for anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. If the surface doesn’t remain wet for the allotted time, the wipe is less likely to kill germs. Like ICU’s disinfectant wipes, which kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, they’re most effective if you follow the directions.
You should never use disinfectant wipes as a substitute for hand sanitizer or thorough cleaning. Cleansing wipes may irritate your skin, and the strength of disinfectant in a disinfectant wipe is not safe for children or direct contact with food that you’re going to ingest. After disinfecting surfaces where you’ll be prepping food, wipe them down with wet clean cloths or paper towels once the allotted time for disinfection passes.
You can use cleaning wipes on most household or workplace surfaces, but there are a few exceptions. Avoid use on:
- Absorbent surfaces
- Unpainted/unfinished wood
- Aluminum, copper, or other polished metals
If it’s the first time you’re disinfecting a new surface, it’s a good idea to test a small area and make sure the wipe doesn’t affect its appearance before cleaning the entire surface.
Wipes vs. Disinfectant Sprays
Many people and workplaces choose to use a disinfectant spray rather than wipes because the overhead costs are lower. But before you let the bill dictate your decision-making for health and safety in the workplace, consider that a cleansing wipe is often safer than a spray.
Using disinfectant spray often requires extreme precision because you don’t want to accidentally spray the wrong part of a surface. These sprays come in pressurized cans, which release aerosols that can hang in the air even after you no longer smell them. Frequent use of a disinfectant spray can be harmful to your respiratory system if you’re remaining in the space after its use and breathing in the chemicals.
Repeatedly coating a surface directly in a spray can cause damage over time from excess moisture. To effectively clean a surface using a spray, you’ll need to apply it to a paper towel or a piece of toilet paper. These items often leave a residue behind on the surface, making it look dirty again.
Choosing wipes over cleaning spray can save your surfaces and keep you and your employees safe.
Where to Buy Your Cleaning Wipes
Where you buy your disinfectant wipes is incredibly important. Always purchase your cleaning wipes from a reputable retailer for your safety. Companies selling wipes for suspiciously low prices online can seem like a good deal at first glance but can either be ineffective or even dangerous depending on which chemical additives they’ve applied to the product.
Companies like ICU Production Inc that specialize in delivering high-quality and industry-approved PPE, are the best place to shop for disinfectants.
The Benefits of Buying In Bulk
When you’re making purchases for the workplace, buying in bulk is common practice to ensure sufficient supply is available and that all departments have access to the same products. From a business standpoint, buying cleaning supplies in bulk means that your staff saves time because they have to order less frequently.
Even if you’re buying disinfectant wipes for your household, there are benefits to shopping in bulk. Besides social distancing and mask-wearing, disinfecting frequently touched surfaces is one of the core behaviors for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Cleaning items or surfaces in your home regularly can help keep you and your family safe, preventing you from bringing illness to the workplace. Buying disinfectant wipes in bulk can help you save money and ensure you’re never in short supply.
Determining Your Need
To protect your workplace effectively against the spread of germs and viruses, place soft packs and canisters of disinfectant wipes around the office where they are easily accessible to all employees. To determine how large of a bulk order you’ll need to make, consider not only how many employees you have but how many high-touch surfaces exist within the facility.
If you’re a small business, soft packs of 70 wipes may be sufficient for employees to keep at their desks or workstations and use on their personal surfaces before and after each use. Soft packs are convenient to store in a desk or a drawer, and they also make it simple to grab a wipe on the go.
For larger corporations with many employees, consider placing communal canisters of 100, 160, or 500 wipes around the facility near high-traffic areas like entrances, bathroom doors, and the lunchroom.
Shop Smart With ICU Production Inc
When it comes to health and safety, there’s no room for risk-taking, especially in the workplace. That’s why purchasing disinfectant wipes in bulk from a reliable company with experience in the field of PPE is the smartest option.
ICU Production Inc offers soft packs and canisters of cleansing wipes that kill up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses along with countless other forms of PPE like medical-grade masks, gloves, and gowns.