DE19547650A1 - Disinfection of surfaces such as floors and walls in,e.g., hospitals - Google Patents

Abstract

Disinfection of surfaces with water-vapour mixtures,comprises addition of an antimicrobial agent to the mixture. The active agent is preferably selected from quaternary ammonium compounds, biguanides, alcohols, organic carboxylic acids, (in)organic percompounds, inorganic acids, inorganic salts, glycols, urea compounds, amphoteric compounds and/or phenolic compounds.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for disinfecting surfaces with what water vapor mixtures.

The disinfection of large areas, e.g. B. floor surfaces and walls in open spaces, is required in many areas. This mainly includes the hospital area as well the area of food manufacturing and processing. Usually are aqueous solutions of Desin on the surfaces to be cleaned and disinfected mechanical agents, d. H. depending on the size of the area with hand tools or machines, upset. The high concentrations of disinfectants have the consequence that re relatively high residues of the active ingredients remain on the disinfected surfaces.

The disinfectants used are particularly high Concentrations are used here, some to be harmful to health. In front especially in the food sector, it is desirable to determine the concentrations of the active ingredients to keep it as low as possible or to minimize it. Furthermore, it is ecological and also Economically desirable, disinfectants as low as possible to dose.

It is known from the household sector to clean surfaces with steam cleaning devices When using steam cleaning devices, however, there is no disinfection of the surfaces chen achieved.

Methods for cleaning closed rooms are also known from the prior art men, e.g. B. food containers, machines for filling food, known, in which water-steam mixtures are used in combination with H₂O₂.

In German patent application DE-A-25 07 790, for example, a method for Disinfecting the sterile chamber of a packaging machine described in what a steam / hydrogen peroxide mixture is injected into the cold sterile chamber, whereby the initial concentration of hydrogen peroxide is between 20 and 40%.  

In the European patent application EP-A-0 481 361 a device for sterile sieren of containers described, wherein via supply lines for the sterilant as well as for the evaporation of the agent, the sterilizing agent via a A large number of nozzles is guided into the corresponding containers in order to sterilize them. Hydrogen peroxide is used as the sterilizing agent.

H₂O₂ is a weak disinfectant, for example for the disinfection of open areas in the hospital area or in production rooms is not sufficient.

The present invention is based on the object of a method for disinfecting to provide areas where the concentration of active ingredients compared conventional methods is reduced without reducing the disinfection performance. Fer A way should be found to use ecologically advantageous active ingredients to be able to, which described in the above because of their low effectiveness surface disinfection cannot be used.

The present invention accordingly relates to a method for disinfecting of surfaces with water-steam mixtures, characterized in that the mixture an antimicrobial agent is added.

It has been found that through the use of antimicrobial agents, i.e. H. Desin detergents, to water-steam mixtures, the disinfection performance of the active ingredients can be increased many times over. There can also be ecologically advantageous active ingredients be set in the usual surface disinfection due to their lack of effectiveness not be used. It was found that the inventive Process ver the amount of antimicrobial agents used many times can be reduced.

As an antimicrobial agent, all can usually be used for surface disinfection active ingredients. The active ingredients are preferably selected from the Group of quaternary ammonium compounds, QAV, such as. B. benzalkonium chloride, Di chlorobenzyldimethylalkylammonium chloride, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, benzetonium chloride, dialkyldimethylammonium chloride, dioctyldimethylammonium chloride, cetylpyridini umchloride; Biguanides such as B. chlorhexidine, polyhexamethylene biguanide; Alcohols such as B. 2-phenoxy-1-propanol, phenoxyethanol; organic carboxylic acids, such as. B. acetic acid, Citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid; inorganic and organic per compounds,  such as B. hydrogen peroxide, Na perborate, persulfates, perphthalates; inorganic acids, such as B. phosphoric acid; inorganic salts such as e.g. B. silver nitrate, copper sulfate, trisodium phosphate; Glycols such as B. 1,2-propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol; Urine substance derivatives, such as B. 3,4,4-trichlorocarbanilide; amphoteric ammonium compounds, such as e.g. B. Dodecyl-di (aminoethyl) glycine; phenolic compounds, such as. B. Triclosan as well Mixtures of the foregoing.

The antimicrobial active ingredients can be used in amounts of 10 ^-5 to 1 wt .-%, based on the amount of water used at room temperature. Usually who applied the application solutions in an amount of 5 to 100 ml / sqm, preferably 10 to 60 ml / sqm on the floors in the form of steam.

Auxiliaries, such as pure, can also be used in the process according to the invention effective substances, e.g. B. surfactants and wetting agents, complexing agents, pH regulators , corrosion inhibitors, dyes and perfumes.

To carry out the process according to the invention, the active ingredients are combined with the water in the storage container of a normal steam line Given device. Conventional, commercially available steam cleaning devices are available Steam cleaning devices that have a possibility of metering chemical agents, ge is suitable. The application solution will then be as it is for the corresponding steam line is specified in the operating instructions on the floor to be treated upset. The application solution emerging from the steam nozzle usually lies as a mixture of water vapor, water drops and the active ingredient contained in the What drops is dissolved or dispersed. With the commercially available steam cleaning devices The water-steam mixture at the nozzle has a temperature of around 100 ° C. Be The temperature has already cooled to 70 to 80 ° C on the floor surface. This tem temperatures are only available for a fraction of a second, after a short time the Bo is only slightly warmed the surface.

When carrying out the method according to the invention with commercially available steam-free cleaning devices, the steam nozzle is usually passed over the floor surface several times, for example, when returning the steam nozzle. Although a simple approach application of the procedure, d. H. easy application of the mixture of water and steam and active ingredient on the floor area is considered sufficient, it has to be considered Partially proven to treat the surfaces several times, for example 2 to 3 times. The two to  triple treatment can be achieved simply by using the steam line is pushed back and forth on the surface.

When treating floors with disinfectants over a large area, more common wise, high concentrations of active ingredients are used to create an effective disin to achieve the fection. Unlike in closed rooms, such as B. closed Le food containers, closed machine circuits for food production etc., the active ingredient can escape relatively quickly. On the other hand, the intensity of the Exposure to disinfectants in enclosed spaces is much more intense and thus more effective.

Examples Trial 1

Disinfection tests with a steam cleaning device with the test germ were carried out Enterococcus faecium ATCC 6057 performed. A test area of 25 cm² was used contaminated with the test germ (approx. 10⁸ germs per test area) and in a PVC stencil fixed on the floor. The floor was then loaded with the steam cleaner is done by driving over it twice at the usual pace. Immediately after during the treatment, the bacterial count of the test areas was determined. The floor was there once with a composition according to the invention and once without the invention treated according to the addition of disinfectants.

The effectiveness of the process carried out is based on the reduction factor Right. The reduction factor is a measure of the disinfection performance and represents the differences limit of the log (number of bacteria before application of the method) and the log (number of bacteria after Application of the method). The higher the reduction factor, the more effective it was the procedure performed.

Vapostar® 3000 was used as the steam cleaning device. The test area was a Ka chel in accordance with the guidelines for testing and evaluating chemical disinfection processes, As of July 12, 1991, published by the Disinfectant Commission of the Germans Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM), mhp-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1991, (DGHM guideline).

As a disinfectant
Example 1 a 10% solution of dimethylalkylbenzylammonium chloride in a concentration of 0.075% by weight, in
Example 2 2 wt .-% of a 30% H₂O₂ solution and in
Example 3 no disinfectant added as a comparison.

The test results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Trial 2

Disinfection tests with the Vapostar® 3000 steam cleaning device were carried out leads by adding 2 wt .-% of a stabilized 30% H₂O₂ solution. With the The cleaning device was moved twice over the test areas (tile). As test germs were Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 used (amount: approx. 10⁸ germs per test area).

The bacterial count of the test areas was determined immediately after the treatment and after an exposure time of 30 minutes.

For comparison, the active ingredient solution was applied by applying and spatula DGHM guideline applied to a test area. The reduction factors after an exposure time of 30 minutes and 120 minutes were determined (Examples 4 and 5).

The test results are shown in Table 2.  

Table 2

Trial 3

The experiment from experiment 1 was repeated with the exception that under different test germs were applied in an amount of approx. 10⁸ germs per test area (Example 8).

For comparison, the effectiveness of the disinfectant from test 1 according to the DGHM guideline tested against different test germs. The test germs were applied in an amount of approximately 10⁸ germs per test area (Example 9).

The bacterial count of the test areas was immediately after the treatment or after different exposure times determined.

The reduction factors immediately after application and after the exposure time were determined Right.

The results are shown in Table 3.  

Table 3

From the above test results it is clear that with the help of the invent The inventive method is possible to effectively disinfect surfaces, at the same time tig the amount of disinfectant used, compared to a usual area order can be reduced many times over. In the comparative experiments without the simultaneous exposure to steam and the antimicrobial agent a satisfactory disinfection performance after an exposure time of 120 min the.

Claims (4)

1. A method for disinfecting surfaces with water-steam mixtures, characterized in that an antimicrobial agent is added to the mixture. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the antimicrobial agent is added to the water in an amount of 1 × 10 ^-6 to 1 wt .-%. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the active ingredient solution in an amount of 5 to 100 ml / sqm on the surface to be disinfected is brought. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the Active ingredient is selected from the group of quaternary ammonium compounds, Biguanides, alcohols, organic carboxylic acids, inorganic and organic Per compounds, inorganic acids, inorganic salts, glycols, urine Derivatives, amphoteric ammonium compounds, phenolic compounds and mixtures of the foregoing.