Long-lasting disinfectants offer a revolutionary approach to infection control, surpassing the limitations of single-use disinfectants. While single-use disinfectants provide immediate bacteria reduction, long-lasting disinfectants create self-disinfecting surfaces, forming a protective barrier that continuously prevents bacterial growth and transmission. Long-lasting disinfectants require less frequent application, saving valuable time and effort. This innovative technology represents the future of disinfection, with its convenience, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability advantages. Furthermore, ongoing advancements in nanotechnology and delivery systems are being explored to develop highly effective and environmentally friendly long-lasting disinfectants. Considering their multiple roles, long-lasting disinfectants are poised to play a pivotal role in preventing the transmission of infectious diseases and maintaining cleanliness in various contexts.

Long Lasting vs. Single-Use Disinfectants

Disinfectants are classified as single-use or long-lasting. Single-use disinfectants provide immediate bacteria reduction while having a low residual effect.  On the other hand, most long-lasting disinfectants gradually release active chemicals, forming a protective barrier that constantly prevents bacteria development and transmission.  All disinfectants should disclose if they eradicate bacteria, viruses, and/or fungi, with accelerated hydrogen peroxide typically providing the broadest efficacy. Because of its ease, cost-effectiveness, and potential for sustainability, the future of disinfection technology is focused on long-term solutions. These disinfectants need to be applied less frequently, saving time and effort. While they may have a higher initial cost, the added protection compensates for the requirement for periodic reapplication. Furthermore, nanotechnology and delivery systems advances are being investigated to generate highly effective and environmentally friendly long-lasting disinfectants. Long-lasting disinfectants, in general, are poised to play an essential role in avoiding the transmission of infectious illnesses and maintaining cleanliness in various contexts.

Person in a yellow gloves wiping down a keyboard

5 Roles Long-Lasting Disinfection Plays in the Future of Infection Control Technology

Disinfectants are critical to public health and the prevention of infectious disease spread. They have important functions in preserving a safe and sustainable environment and preventing the formation of resistant microbes, minimizing the need for frequent application while improving overall public health safety. Understanding and accepting this option can lead to more successful disinfection techniques, resulting in a healthier and safer world.

1.   Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Resistance

Long-term disinfection contributes to the prevention of infectious disease transmission. These disinfectants generate a hostile environment by continuously suppressing pathogen growth and dissemination, lowering the risk of infection. Providing long-term efficacy against germs reduces the selection pressure that might lead to the emergence of resistant strains, ensuring the long-term efficacy of antimicrobial therapies.   All disinfectants should disclose if they work on bacteria, viruses, and/or fungi, with accelerated hydrogen peroxide typically providing the broadest efficacy.

2.   Environmental Sustainability

Long-term disinfection is consistent with environmental sustainability goals. These disinfectants are used less frequently, reducing product consumption and waste formation. Long-lasting treatments can have a positive environmental impact by reducing the amount of disinfectants required.

3.   Reducing the Need for Frequent Application

Long-lasting disinfection provides extended protection, reducing the need for regular re-application. When you apply a single-use disinfectant, the surface is contaminated as soon as the first germ is deposited.  With a long-lasting disinfectant, you apply them less frequently. This can have significant consequences for time, labor, and resource efficiency. Long-lasting disinfectants save hours of manpower by reducing the need for frequent manual application, allowing personnel to focus on other tasks. Additionally, they help mitigate human error in the disinfection process, ensuring more comprehensive and adequate coverage of surfaces. It frees up precious resources and enables more efficient infection control methods, especially in high-traffic places like hospitals, schools, and public spaces, where continuous disinfection can be difficult to perform regularly.

4.   Multi-Surface Effectiveness

Long-lasting disinfectants excel at providing effective and ongoing disinfection over a variety of surfaces. These disinfectants can provide a protective barrier on various materials and textures, preventing bacteria development. Long-lasting disinfectants have the advantage of being effective on a variety of surfaces. These disinfectants form a protective barrier that inhibits microbial development, allowing them to be used on various materials and surfaces. Long-lasting disinfectants’ capacity to provide continuous protection over several surfaces enables thorough disinfection coverage, lowering the danger of cross-contamination and improving overall infection control measures.

5.   Improved Public Health Safety

Long-term disinfection contributes to the goal of infection control: improving public health safety. These disinfectants provide continued protection in places where people live, work, and interact by sustaining a prolonged antibacterial impact. Long-lasting disinfection adds significantly to better public health safety. These disinfectants make it safer for people to live, work, and interact by providing continual protection and lowering the risk of disease transmission. The long-lasting antibacterial impact contributes to thorough disinfection coverage, creating a cleaner and healthier society. Finally, long-term disinfection is critical to promoting public health and improving general well-being.

Long Lasting Disinfection

The Future of Infection Control: NanoRAD

Long-lasting disinfectants are critical in infection control because they provide a continuous and effective fight against dangerous bacteria. Long-lasting disinfectants, as opposed to typical disinfectants, continue to kill germs and prevent their spread over lengthy periods. This is especially critical in high-traffic areas like hospitals, cleanrooms, cruise ships, and public places where illnesses can spread quickly. By forming a protective barrier on surfaces, these disinfectants prevent bacteria from surviving and spreading, lowering the risk of infection and ensuring a healthier environment. Using long-lasting disinfectants not only improves general hygiene but also helps protect the well-being of individuals and communities by reducing the likelihood of outbreaks and related health implications. Kismet Technologies’ NanoRAD is a patent pending technology that kills bacteria and even viruses as they land on surfaces for weeks or months, producing on-demand hydrogen peroxide in the presence of pathogens. NanoRAD is a transparent spray film or coating applied to surfaces that can last for months (even with regular cleaning). NanoRAD continues to safely kill bacteria and viruses, eradicating most infectious pathogens by 2 hours, going far beyond normal disinfection. With this new long-lasting disinfectant, Kismet Technologies is changing the way the world disinfects.

The Bottom Line – Not all disinfectants are equal

Long-lasting disinfectants go beyond the constraints of single-use disinfectants to provide an innovative approach to infection management. If they offer long-term protection by slowly releasing active compounds and establishing a protective barrier that limits bacterial development and transmission, this needs to be considered. A technology that only produces a reaction in the presence of pathogens is superior.

This cutting-edge technology has benefits in terms of convenience, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. However, the long-lasting disinfectant must have efficacy against the pathogen’s needs.  All disinfectants should note their efficacy against bacteria, viruses, and fungi.  Many disinfectants are only effective in eradicating bacteria.  Nanotechnology technologies are improving in terms of effectiveness and environmental friendliness. Long-lasting disinfectants, with their numerous responsibilities in preventing the spread of infectious illnesses and maintaining cleanliness, are positioned to play a crucial role in the future of infection control technology, promoting public health safety and a healthier world. Is that something you want? Then contact us!

Dr. Christina Drake

Christina Drake

Christina earned a Ph.D. in Material Science Engineering from UCF. She has collaborated with many US government agencies and Department of Defense during the 10-year period she was with Lockheed Martin. Christina was the Faculty President at Florida Polytechnic prior to founding Kismet Technologies in 2019. She has secured more than 30 grants for funding in excess of $13 million. Christina has six patents and several more pending patents.