Disinfectant Wipes Found to Reduce Viral Load and Cross Contamination

A new study found that disinfectant wipes were significantly and rapidly able to reduce coronavirus viruses. 

The study aimed to compare the contributions of physical removal and chemical inactivation to overall disinfection efficacy. Glass and vinyl coupons were contaminated with coronavirus variants at an initial titer of 5–6 log tissue culture infective dose(TCID)₅₀/surface with 5% soil load.

After air drying, coupons were wiped using one of the following treatments: pre-wetted blank polypropylene wipe, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-based disinfectant wipe, or quaternary ammonium compound (QAC)-based disinfectant wipe.

Wiping was performed manually by hand or mechanically using a Gardco Gardner-scrub. The wiping process followed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency protocol. After a one-minute exposure, residual disinfectant on both coupons and wipes was neutralized separately. Viruses were recovered by sonication for 30 seconds and quantified.

Using a blank wipe, more virus was transferred to the wipe from glass (23%–59%) than vinyl (21%–30%), while less virus remained on glass (2%–5%) than vinyl (16%–24%). No significant difference in virus concentration was observed between hand wiping and machine wiping, either on the surfaces or in the used wipes. Both disinfectant wipes reduced the number of viral particles from surfaces, with virus remaining on used wipes below the limit of detection.

The survey said these results suggest that disinfectant wipes can significantly and rapidly reduce coronavirus contamination and cross-contamination risk.