21st Century Control


James Taylor, Chicopee’s Marketing Director for EMEIA (Specialities), outlines how technologically-advanced products can help in the fight against infection.


Older people and those recovering from or receiving treatment for serious conditions are at a high risk of contracting a healthcare-acquired infection, as their vulnerable immune systems can easily be overwhelmed. Fortunately, technology has seen cleaning materials developed that can play a significant part in infection prevention and control.


The use of microfibre has revolutionised the way that hospitals and care homes clean. High quality cloths made purely from microfibre are able to remove dirt and bacteria without the need for chemicals, with disposable options also eliminating the requirement for laundry.


One of the most challenging aspects of resident care is keeping a facility clean and hygienic. A study by the American Journal of Infection Control found that 93% of cloths used to clean patient rooms contained bacteria that could trigger a healthcare associated infection. It was also discovered that typical laundering practices were insufficient for removing pathogens such as E.Coli, while the MRSA virus could survive on a cloth for up to 21 days.


What’s more, a further study found that almost one third of all bacteria was


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2111304


transferred onto the next surface to be cleaned via the cloth that was used.


By contrast, biolab tests conducted in the UK showed that 99.99% of microbes could be removed by adopting a method of mechanical cleaning – using high quality microfibre materials rather than a combination of chemicals and traditional, laundered cloths.


The synthetic microfibres attract then trap dirt and bacteria, leaving the surface 99.99% free from microbes. The dirt is not released until the cloth is rinsed or discarded, which means bacteria cannot be spread onto the next surface to be cleaned. This is known as the capillary effect – the fibres are positively charged whereas dirt, dust and bacteria have a negative charge and are therefore attracted to the cloth.


Generally speaking, the higher the microfibre content of a cloth, and the finer the fibres, the more effective it will be. The fibres of the Microfibre Light from Chicopee, for example, are split using a high-pressure water system. Standard microfibre is measured at 0.7 decitex while the Chicopee fibre is 0.1375 decitex, making it 80% finer than the average microfibre, and 1/100th the thickness of a human hair.


10 | CLEANING & INFECTION SUPPLEMENT


The Microfibre Light is made from 100% microfibre, unlike some cloths that contain only around 25% microfibre.


The same technology can now also be applied to floorcare. Chicopee recently launched a range of disposable microfibre floor mops that boast the same bacteria removal capabilities as the Microfibre Light. The mops – available in Light, Economy and Super – are used with the light and easy to manoeuvre Chicopee mopping tool.


The mops remove 99.99% of microbes, trapping dirt and bacteria within the fibres of the mop where they stay until it is discarded. This eradicates the danger of cross-contamination while matching or exceeding the cleaning performance of tradition string mops. As the mops are discarded aſter use, there is no need to spend time and money washing them.


Chicopee supplies speciality cleaning materials and wipes for the professional market, with more than 40 years’ experience delivering practical and effective solutions to the healthcare and care home sectors.


www.chicopee.com/eu www.tomorrowscare.co.uk


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