The Cleaning Power of Wet Wipes

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Are wet wipes as effective as traditional cleaning methods at killing germs? Distributors say customers who question the efficacy of wipes can rest assured. 

 

“In terms of killing germs, wipes should be equivalent to cleaning with microfiber — if you are cleaning correctly with a disinfectant and microfiber cloth,” says Benjamin Tanner, president of the Antimicrobial Test Laboratories in Round Rock, Texas. 

 

But even wet wipes can be misused, thereby negating their cleaning and sanitizing powers. Tanner offers the following tips to ensure that restaurant owners are getting the most out of their wet wipes:

 

• Check the instructions. Read the label. If an end-user is using wipes on food contact surfaces, make sure the label says the product is safe for these areas.

 

• Don’t overuse. “It’s important to understand the disinfectant power of a wipe is only going to apply to a limited surface area,” says Tanner. “If a wipe is depleted or dry, you could be making the situation worse by spreading germs around.” 

 

When a user can no longer thoroughly wet the area with the wipe Tanner suggests they throw it away.  

 

“As a general rule of thumb, 10 to 15 square feet is about right for a disinfectant towel,” he says.  

 

• Make sure containers are well sealed. “If it’s not a very good container for the disinfectant wipe, the liquid will evaporate out over time,” says Tanner. “And if you pull a dry wipe out of a canister, it’s basically worthless.”

 

• Pay attention to dwell times. “Each wipe has a contact time on its label,” says Tanner. “You should apply enough liquid with the wipe so that the surface stays wet for the entire contact time.”

Kassandra Kania is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, N.C. She is a frequent contributor to Sanitary Maintenance.