Initial Medical’s Rebecca Waters: Choosing the correct cleaning materials
Choosing the correct cleaning materials for your dental practice is more difficult than you think. It’s not just about choosing the strongest solution you can find, there are many other things you need to take into account.
It’s more important than ever to ensure infection control standards are irreproachable, which means any cleaning products need to be highly effective. You’ll want to look out for products that guarantee they can kill 99.9999% of pathogens including bacteria, viruses and other potential problem-causing microbes such as fungi and yeasts.
These should also be proven to destroy novel viruses such as COVID-19 and its variants. The more up-to-date and effective your cleaning solutions, the better they will be at minimising the chances of cross-infection.
The Steri-7 Xtra range of disinfectants from Initial Medical, for example, is a wonderfully versatile selection that can be used on all surfaces as well as delicate equipment.
All Steri-7 Xtra products eliminate 99.9999% of pathogens. Plus, the range features Reactive Barrier Technology – which means that once they are applied to any surfaces, they prevent the recolonisation of pathogens for up to 72 hours. Plus Steri-7 Xtra hand-washing solutions are fragrence free and gently re-moisturising to protect the user's skin.
But why all this focus on the Steri-7 Xtra range’s gentleness on surfaces and hands? Surely the more powerful the better? Unfortunately this is not true, many cleaning products are too harsh for certain materials, and using them to clean delicate equipment can cause damage.
For example, products with high concentrations of bleach or alcohol can cause rubber seals such as those used on autoclaves to deteriorate, resulting in the need for repair. Regular cleaning with harsh and abrasive products can also damage surfaces and equipment.
Hand-washing care and fragances
We are constantly reminded that effective and regular hand-washing is essential for professionals and patients alike to help prevent the spread of diseases, but if the products used aren’t friendly to the skin they can have a number of unpleasant side effects
Many soaps strip natural oils from the skin, leaving hands dry, chapped and prone to damage. For people suffering from eczema these products can be especially damaging, and prolonged use of non-moisturising solutions can leave skin cracked, itchy and more prone to infection.
Another thing we often overlook is the impact of certain added fragrances. In fact, some experts believe that as many as two million people in the UK are sensitive to chemicals used to create artificial fragrances, which can result in headaches, runny eyes and nose, breathing difficulties and feelings of nausea.
Dental practices have a high footfall, so there’s a significant chance that a visitor might suffer from an allergic sensitivity to fragranced cleaning and hand-wasking products. So, it’s a smart idea to only use gently fragranced products, or solutions with no artificial fragrances at all.
By investing in products that are powerful, safe to use and unlikely to have any negative impacts on patients and staff, surfaces and equipment, such as the Steri-7 Xtra range from Initial Medical, you can help build the best defences against the spread of disease.
For more information, visit www.initial.co.uk/medical or call 0870 850 4045
