EBME Forums Forums Free discussion Free discussion Cleaning Wipes and plastic damage

Hi All,

Over the years, I've frequently encountered issues with plastic damage on medical devices caused by cleaning solutions.

I believe the primary culprit is Quaternary Ammonium compounds (Quats) as the active agent. Some of our equipment specifically advises against using wipes containing Quats.

In my current role, we use Quat wipes exclusively for hard surfaces and chair cleaning. For medical equipment, we use a potassium peroxymonosulfate solution (which doesn't seem to damage plastics but requires manual mixing with tablets and water), 1000ppm chlorine solutions (mainly for blood contamination, as some Trusts mandate this for regular cleaning), peracetic acid-based wipes (which can cause discoloration), and low alcohol wipes (which appear safe on plastics but can cause hazing on some clear plastics).

In the past, where we used Quat wipes or solutions, the plastics on machines would degrade over time, some components took longer, while others reacted quickly, leading to unnecessary call-outs and a perception of unreliability for certain equipment models. Since discontinuing the use of Quat wipes in the clinics they were used on these sites, we've observed a significant reduction in plastic damage.

My questions are:

1. Do other Companies/Trusts experience high plastic damage with Quat wipes?
2. Have you found any non-Quat wipes that are effective against Hep B/C, HIV, etc., and are safe for plastics?
3. If you have found good alternatives, did you encounter difficulties getting them approved through IPC?

I appreciate any responses!

I've intentionally avoided mentioning any brand names.

Andy