Hospitals are incredibly busy places with thousands of patients, staff and visitors coming through their doors every single day. This results in a stream of people constantly touching surfaces – such as door handles, shelves, privacy curtains and medical equipment – unwittingly making them dirty and allowing microbes to grow, even if they are rigorously sanitised on a daily basis. Superficial wiping will certainly make a surface clean for a short time, but as soon as it is touched again, it becomes soiled once more. Regardless of how hectic a hospital may be, hygiene is still paramount, due to the nature of the day-to-day activities that take place, and the potentially vulnerable nature of the people being treated. But how is it possible to uphold stringent sanitation standards in the face of an unending flow of people? This is where antimicrobial technologies can lend a helping hand, supplementing regular cleaning protocols and providing a longer-lasting effect.

Flexible and versatile

Microbes can lead to premature product degradation and may create foul-smelling odours and stains. Building antimicrobial technologies into materials will provide long-term product protection that works around the clock to prevent the unwanted growth of microbes without washing off or leaching out, prolonging the lifetime of the product. Antimicrobial additives come in many different forms – including pellets, powders and liquid formulations – and can be incorporated into a wide range of building materials, floorings, ceramics and textiles.

Practical and innovative

Privacy curtains and shelves are just two examples where antimicrobial product protection could benefit the healthcare industry. Privacy curtains are constantly touched by both patients and members of staff, and so quickly become vectors for damaging microbial growth. Shelves may be wiped down every single day but, as soon as they are touched, they can no longer be classed as clean, meaning that everything in contact with them can become unsanitary too. Adding antimicrobial chemistries into the raw materials used to make curtains and shelves, together with proper cleaning routines, will keep the hospital environment cleaner for longer, giving patients, staff and visitors extra peace of mind.

Working behind the scenes

It is not an easy task to maintain the high standards of hygiene required by healthcare settings in the face of ever-increasing patient numbers, and conventional surface cleaning might not be enough to keep harmful microbes at bay. Built-in antimicrobial technologies will keep surfaces cleaner between cleans and suppress the growth of microbes 24/7, complementing regular cleaning regimes. This will help hospitals to fight the battle against harmful microbes, as well as increase the usable lifetime of treated products.

About Microban International

Part of Barr Brands International (BBI), Microban International is home to the most trusted and well-known global brands in the antimicrobial, odour control, and sanitisation/disinfection markets – Microban® and Ultra-Fresh®. Our organization has experienced over 100 collective years of growth and has revolutionised the industry. As the global leader, our proactive systems keep products cleaner and control odours better by preventing problems before they start. Microban International drives innovation by combining science and creative solutions that enhance high quality consumer, textile, industrial and medical products around the world. Today, the Microban and Ultra-Fresh brands and our technologies are featured on thousands of products worldwide. The company is headquartered in North Carolina with operations in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.microban.com