Evaluation of an electrostatic spray disinfectant technology for rapid decontamination of portable equipment and large open areas in the era of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

In the setting of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, efficient methods are needed to decontaminate shared portable devices and large open areas such as waiting rooms. We found that wheelchairs, portable equipment, and waiting room chairs were frequently contaminated with potential pathogens. After minimal manual precleaning of areas with visible soiling, application of a dilute sodium hypochlorite disinfectant using an electrostatic sprayer provided rapid and effective decontamination and eliminated the benign virus bacteriophage MS2 from inoculated surfaces.

Keywords: Clostridioides difficile; Surfaces; Viruses; Wheelchairs.

Fig 1

Pictures of the electrostatic spray device used in the study.

Fig 2

Efficacy of the disinfectant spray in reducing pathogen contamination on waiting room chairs (A), portable medical equipment (B), and wheelchairs (C). *, P ≤ 0.01.