Cleaning and disinfecting supplies
06/01/2007
Cleaning and disinfecting products are a vital part of ensuring that a clean environment is sterile and contaminant-free. But the type of clean space in question and the level of cleanliness that must be maintained will determine which products will accommodate your specific needs. This month’s spotlight offers a selection of solutions, wipers, and more to keep your critical environment operating at peak cleanliness levels.
Compiled by Carrie Meadows
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All-surface mop for clean environments
Contec, Inc. has introduced the EasyCurve™ mop designed specifically for cleaning floors, walls, and ceilings in cleanrooms and controlled environments. Consisting of a flat, fabric-laminated mop head attached to a curved, stainless-steel frame, EasyCurve provides superior performance, ease of use, and effectiveness compared to any other all-surface cleaning system. Designed for use in pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing plants, hospitals, compounding pharmacies, and other similar critical environments, the EasyCurve is an ideal upgrade alternative in applications where sponge roller and self-wringing mops are currently used. The mop is available in non-sterile and validated sterile versions. All hardware and mop heads are autoclavable. The EasyCurve mop uses a separate “sling” style wringer that installs over a 6.5 gallon (25 L) polypropylene bucket to completely and easily remove liquid from the mop head. Since the wringer is not on the handle like traditional sponge roller mops, weight and resulting operator fatigue are significantly reduced.
Contec, Inc.
Spartanburg, SC
www.contecinc.com
Sterile 70% IPA in 32 oz. dispensing bag
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Decon Labs, a market leader in sterile alcohol and sterile disinfectants, has expanded its CiDehol ST Sterile 70% IPA line to include a 32 oz. dispensing bag to be used with a hands-free infrared dispenser. Our CiDehol ST is filtered to 0.22 microns and bagged in a Class 100 cleanroom (ISO Class 5). Each lot is tested for bacterial endotoxin and tested for sterility using current USP testing methods. CiDehol ST is “water-for-injection” quality, meaning that finished products meet WFI criteria in endotoxin limits. Each case is shipped with a lot-specific document detailing parameters of QC, irradiation, and endotoxin and sterility testing.
Decon Labs, Inc.
King of Prussia, PA
www.deconlabs.com
Peroxygen-based multi-purpose disinfectant
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DuPont, a company that provides recognized brands such as Nomex®, Tyvek®, Kevlar®, Tychem®, and ProShield®, offers the RelyOn™ line of antiseptics and disinfectants, available for a range of needs. RelyOn™ Multi-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner is a peroxygen-based powder or tablet, available in a variety of package sizes, that may be used as an absorbent or dissolved in water to provide a disinfectant solution. This cost-effective bleach alternative, when prepared properly, is efficacious against a range of human pathogens including hepatitis A, B, and C; norovirus; MRSA; and HIV.
DuPont
Wilmington, DE
www.dupont.com
Critical environment cleaning products
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Innotech Products can provide a complete line of housekeeping products for any level of cleanroom environment. Sterile alcohol, wipers, sponges, HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaners, and special cleaning tools are readily available. Rolo-Matic mop assemblies with extendable stainless steel handles and other styles up to 20 feet can be provided. A broad range of disinfectants for safe and effective rotation can be supplied, as well as a wide selection of irradiated mop heads for dispensing detergents or cleaning spills. Please visit our online catalog or call (888) 270-0458 for product information, pricing, and availability.
Innotech Products
Minneapolis, MN
www.innotechprod.com
Pre-wetted, non-corrosive wiper
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ITW Texwipe has introduced Sterile TexChlor™ AL (TX3269), a point-of-use, pre-wetted non-corrosive “bleach” wiper utilizing a dry chemical and DI water to produce a “bleach” solution for cleaning controlled environments. TexChlor AL features a patent-pending delivery system that is easy to use and allows the end user to pre-wet wipers with a fresh, non-caustic “bleach” solution. The package consists of three compartments: one containing DI water, one containing a dry chemical, and the third containing cleanroom wipers. ITW Texwipe has a broad product line of wipers, swabs, mops, cleaning solutions, and stationery for use in ISO Class 5 or cleaner environments. Products include Vectra® ultra-clean sealed-border wipers, CleanPak® pre-wetted wipers, TexWrite® cleanroom stationery, high-performance cleaning solutions, cleanroom mops, CleanTips® swabs engineered for cleanliness and consistency, and PVA brushes for post-CMP cleaning. All products are supported by the most advanced testing and quality control standards in the industry.
ITW Texwipe
Mahwah, NJ
www.texwipe.com
Wiper dispenser
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Kimberly-Clark Professional offers a dispenser for pre-saturated alcohol wipes that provides convenient, one-handed dispensing with no need to hold a package or re-seal a closing flap. The new KIMTECH PURE* Dispenser makes cleanroom wiping easier than ever before. A self-closing, self-sealing lid helps prevent dry-out of wipers, eliminating waste. An innovative extractor arm automatically lifts each wiper for easy pickup without damaging the wipers. The dispenser also features a durable design that does not generate particles and makes refilling easy.
Kimberly-Clark Professional
Roswell, GA
www.kcprofessional.com
Neutral detergent range for cleaning and residue removal
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Shield Medicare has added a sterile non-ionic detergent, featuring the SteriShield Delivery System, to its range of cleaning and disinfection products. Premier Klerclean-CR™ Sterile Neutral Detergent has low residues and is especially developed for cleaning in critical areas. Premier Klerclean-CR Sterile Neutral Detergent is available sterile and double bagged for use in all areas of the cleanroom. The non-ionic formulation is particularly suitable for oily and sticky spillages or following general maintenance. The product is safe enough to be used in isolators, RABs, and on production equipment. Unlike many other detergent products supplied in a trigger spray format, this ready-to-use product features the unique SteriShield Delivery System, which gives a validated in-use shelf life of up to three months. The SteriShield Delivery System is a closed system which eliminates “suck back,” therefore preserving the sterility of the product throughout use. In addition to the 32 fl. oz. (1 L) ready-to-use trigger spray, this product also comes in a 1.7 fl. oz. (50 ml) unit dose concentrate format for dilution and use with a mopping system, pre-wetted pouch wipers for quick and easy cleaning, and pre-wetted mop wipers for floors, walls, and ceilings. The mop wipers are ideal for residue removal over large areas. For more information, contact Shield Medicare’s U.S. distributor, Benchmark Products, at [email protected]; www.benchmarkproducts.com; or 1-800-432-3624.
Shield Medicare, a division of Ecolab
Farnham, U.K.
www.shieldmedicare.com
Sterile alcohol solution
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New Septihol® WFI Sterile Alcohol Solution contains a mixture of 70% (v/v) USP isopropanol and 30% USP WFI. The bag-on-valve aerosol can design minimizes contamination potential and waste while maximizing flexible use. Each can is filled and double bagged in a Class 100 (ISO Class 5) facility for easy introduction into critical areas, and each lot is documented with certificates of analysis that contain endotoxin, irradiation, and sterility results.
STERIS Corporation
Mentor, OH
www.steris.com
Ultra-clean mop system
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The Value-Tek T-Bar mop consists of a two-ply (260 g/m2) ultra-clean polyester cover with inner ultra-absorbent foam. The mop head is cleanroom laundered and double bagged at the factory. The T-Bar mop is durably designed to avoid snags and tears. The snaps are made of heavy-duty stainless steel. For increased efficiency, the mop can be cleanroom laundered and reused numerous times. The T-Bar mop has been specifically designed by Value-Tek for cleaning floors, walls, and ceilings in controlled environments; it is compatible with Class 10 (ISO Class 4) and higher cleanliness levels.
Value-Tek
Phoenix, AZ
www.cleanroomconsumables.com