Are Alcohol Free Wipes Better At Cleaning and Disinfecting Viruses?

It’s well known that alcohol has inherent antibacterial properties that can be effective for a wide range of infection control uses from hand cleansing to surface cleaning.

Although alcohol is an effective disinfectant, it also has a number of downsides that can make it unsuitable for certain environments and applications…

1. Common forms of alcohol such as IPA or Isopropyl Alcohol can be an irritant to both skin and eyes causing itching, redness, drying and cracking.
2. There is also the risk of accidental ingestion, which can be toxic so is unsuitable for food related applications, and environments where children are present.
3. Alcohol can produce strong vapours and is highly flammable so creates potential fire risks.
4. Commonly used solutions in alcohol based wipes can have a corrosive effect on metals and certain types of rubber and plastics so they are not universally suitable for all environments.

Due to these limitations and an increasing demand for wipes that are effective in a wide range of environments, alcohol free wipes are growing in popularity.

How Effective Are Alcohol Free Wipes At Sanitising?

Good quality alcohol free wipes contain a broad spectrum biocide ingredient proven to kill a wide range of bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeast.

Another advantage of alcohol free wipes is the longer protection time. The sanitising effect of alcohol-based wipes diminishes once the alcohol has evaporated, whereas alcohol free biocide wipes continue to provide protection well after the solution has dried.

Do Alcohol Free Wipes Kill Viruses Too?

Not all wipes are capable of killing viruses, some will be intended and tested for killing bacteria under the BS EN 1276 certification which means that a cleaning product is antibacterial. Wipes that are certified to kill viruses will contain a disinfectant ingredient that has to meet standard EN 14476 which ensures that qualifying products are effective against some of the most resistant viral strains such as Adenovirus, Murine Norovirus and Poliovirus.

Where Can Alcohol Free Wipes Be Used?

Due to being non-toxic and highly effective against viruses, bacteria and fungi, alcohol free wipes are ideal for removing biohazards in hospitals, health centres, dentists, vets, nursing homes, laboratories, food preparation areas and any environment where the risk of cross-infection needs to be eliminated.

They can be used on hard surfaces, walls, floors, glasswork, medical and surgical instrumentation and hairdressing equipment without any vapours and less likely to cause skin irritation than alcohol based wipes.

Our Recommended Alcohol Free Wipes

Virusolve+ Wipes Virusolve+ wipes are impregnated with powerful but non-toxic germicides for high level disinfection of viruses, bacteria, fungi, yeasts and moulds. These include Novel Coronavirus (Covid 19), MRSA, Hepatitis B, HIV and Norovirus.

Virusolve+ High Level Disinfecting Wipes The disinfectant agents used do not contain any hazardous aldehydes or chlorine components, are non-corrosive and won’t generate any fumes. Virusolve+ wipes have been fully tested by independent laboratories and comply with a wide range of standards including EN 14476 and BS EN 1276. Designed for high level disinfection and cleaning, these bio-degradable wipes contain powerful germicides that are non-toxic without any chlorine or aldehyde compounds. They are also non-flammable, non-fuming and non-hazardous.