It’s probably a lot less than you think! With the increasing awareness of decontamination and stricter cross-infection control regulations in today’s dental practices, the cleanliness of any dental care environment is vitally important to ensure compliance with HTM 01-05 legislation and patient confidence.
Healthcare environments must be sterile at all times. This requires being extra vigilant when it comes to everyday cleaning, whether that be wiping down hard surfaces, regularly putting all instruments through an autoclave or keeping the kitchen area clean. To avoid cross-contamination, it’s easy to turn to disposable cloths and wipes without thinking of the monetary cost to the practice or environmental implications of increasing waste.
In fact, if you take some time to review your practice’s running costs, you may be surprised to see how much you spend on cleaning products and that there are ways to remain HTM 01-05 compliant at less cost and with less waste.
Eco-friendly solution
Microfibre e-cloths are an eco-friendly alternative to disposable cloths and chemical cleaners, requiring only water for effective decontamination. Because they are guaranteed for up to 1,000 washes, you can save money by cutting the need to buy expensive cleaning chemicals and disposable cloths every month.
Being environmentally aware is something many businesses strive to incorporate into their ethos. As these cloths last so long, they are eco-friendly, unlike the disposable wipes and paper towels we throw away, which increase unrecyclable landfill, and the perfumed products and chemicals we use, which can be harmful to the environment.
Cleaning power
Okay, so these cloths save money and are eco-friendly, but can water really clean as effectively as chemicals? Let’s look at the science:
Microfibre cloths contain no chemicals. Instead, they are impregnated with antibacterial nanosilver, a material that remains active throughout the life of the cloth (up to 1,000 washes) and is proven to rapidly destroy harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi, whose growth is inhibited by exposure to silver. Requiring only water, e-cloths remove 99% of bacteria, while using a plain cotton cloth with disinfectant removes only 92.78%[i] of bacteria. The nanosilver also keeps the cloth fresh until it is washed.
Each cloth comprises 500 million fibre strands, which entangle, removing a wide range of pathogenic particles from hard surfaces. The resultant dirt and bacteria is ‘locked in’ to the cloth, thereby avoiding cross-contamination. By rinsing the cloth with water after use, the contamination collected in the fibres is released, making it immediately ready for re-use.
They’re even HTM 01-05 compliant (Section 6.61):
‘The patient treatment area should be cleaned after every session using disposable cloths or clean microfibre materials – even if the area appears uncontaminated.’
Moreover, they also comply with the National Patient Safety Agency guidelines and come in four specific colours advised for cleaning in primary care medical and dental premises:
- Yellow – clinical and decontamination areas
- Red – bathrooms and wash rooms
- Green – kitchen areas
- Blue – general non-clinical areas
So, the next time you reach for that expensive bottle of chemical spray or disposable wipe, remember that e-cloths can do the same job using just water, whilst being kind to the environment and saving you money!
To find out how you can start looking after you, your practice and your patients with eco-friendly solutions, click here and we’ll be in touch with our recommended solutions.
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[i] Royal Roads University, Canada – Source: Sustainability case study, July 2005
