Are You ‘Wiped Out’? Here’s a Post-Pandemic Alternative to Wipes

Disinfectant Wipe Fatigue Becomes Post-Pandemic Reality

During the pandemic, there was an explosion of orders for cleaning chemicals at businesses across the country.

Many facility care teams overspent on disinfectant wipes and then became overstocked with products. That’s led to post-pandemic fatigue for disinfectant wipes; you could say cleaning teams are just all ‘wiped out.’

"There’s this understanding that perhaps people were overusing disinfectants and disinfectant wipes during the pandemic out of a completely understandable concern and fear that every surface was harboring a pathogen that was going to make them sick. However, I think facility care teams have now been able to reflect on it and have increasingly turned to a better answer.”

Keith Schneringer, Senior Director of Marketing, JanSan + Sustainability, BradyPLUS

A Cleaning Alternative Emerges

As disinfectant wipes have lost popularity, another cleaning tool has emerged: Wipers.

Functionally, wipers serve a similar purpose as rags but have some major advantages. Since rags are typically reused, they have to frequently be sent to the laundry, which can be more costly than wipers over time. In addition, if not regularly cleaned, rags can carry different residues from various surfaces, causing a greater risk of cross-contamination. Wipers, on the other hand, are single-use, so every wiper delivers fresh cleanliness.

“Wipers can increase efficiency and productivity because you’re not trying to clean up an area with a dirty rag. You can’t make a surface clean if the tool you’re using to clean is dirtier than the surface. With a wiper, you get one surface cleaned, dispose of it, and move on to the next surface with a brand-new wiper,” said Schneringer.

Cleaning with Consistency = Meeting Compliance Needs

In addition, if your goal is to have the same cleaning process every time for compliance purposes, a wiper can be a better tool overall to ensure consistency and predictable results.

Let’s say you manage a food processing facility, and you want all the containers in the production line to remain clean.

“As materials are entering into containers, you might need a wiper to clear off any overfill or splash as it’s making its way down the production line or sometimes, you’re wiping down the production line itself to make sure it remains clean.”

Typically, in a production line, you won’t use disinfectant wipes to handle pathogens; you're more likely to need a larger-scale industrial application and machines for disinfecting that type of area. A disinfectant wipe would be more applicable for smaller-scale uses, such as cleaning classroom surfaces.

Wipers Offer Versatility Well Beyond Disinfectant Wipes

Unlike standard disinfectant wipes, wipers have an incredible amount of variety and versatility for usage, depending on the job at hand. In addition, wipers can remain in your inventory for years because they don’t expire as the chemicals in disinfectant wipes do.

Here are some of the main types of wipers and the usages for each respectively:

Light Duty/Delicate Duty

Light-duty wipers are meant for smaller surfaces, such as a camera lens on your phone, to ensure there’s no dust on it.

Medium Task

Medium-task wipers are for general-purpose cleaning, ranging from polishing furniture or stainless steel to disinfecting surfaces. While wipers aren’t packaged with cleaning agents, you can certainly add those chemicals to wipers if your goal is to disinfect a specific area.

Heavy Duty

Heavy-duty wipers are designed for significant spills, such as in an auto shop, where there’s a major grease spill and you need something to absorb and clean a large quantity of material. You can also combine degreasers with heavy-duty wipers to clean up some of the most challenging messes.   

“The first step for adding wipers to your cleaning arsenal is to be clear about your specific task and then work closely with your trusted distribution partner to ensure you find the right solution for your business. You can look at all the different tasks that you need to accomplish so you can get the maximum efficiency and effectiveness from your wipers,” said Schneringer.

If you’re ready to transform your cleaning operations to be more efficient, cost-effective, and comply with regulations, Contact Us ⬇️ today. Our industry experts will conduct a comprehensive review of your facility to ensure you find the right wiper for your needs.