--- title: "Disposables: Time and Money Savers!" description: "Disposables: Time and Money Savers!" --- - **[SEARCH](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/search-0)** ** - **[CONTACT US](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/contact-us)** - **SDS** - [**Companion Animal**](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/companion-animal-msds) - [**Farm Animal**](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/farm-animal-msds) ## Something Powerful # Resources     ## Disposables: Time and Money Savers! We live in a society where we are inundated with messaging of how our excesses are ruining the environment:  50 million plastic water bottles are consumed each year worldwide; 500 billion plastic shopping bags are also consumed each year -if you joined them end on end they would circle the globe 4200 times!  I will admit, I used disposable diapers.  I was one of the many who contributed to the 3.5 million tons of disposable diapers sent to landfill each year....admittedly, I choose them over the reusable diapers I had started with due to time constraints, ease of use and well....my mom just plain refused to use them when she babysat and as a new mom, who is going to turn away free babysitting services!! So it was with interest that I read an article published in AJIC by Wiemken et al titled "[The value of ready-to-use disinfectant wipes: Compliance, employee time and costs](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24581022)".  As the article so correctly states "***a challenge of the cleaning and disinfection (CD) process is ensuring that the product is mixed and used properly and that the traditional bucket method has many opportunities for breakdowns in compliance***."  In my experience, truer words could not be stated and as Lee and I have discussed in previous blogs "[Cotton - it absorbs more than just water](http://talkcleantome.blogspot.ca/2013/12/cotton-it-absorbs-more-than-just-water.html)", "[Slippery When Wet - Proper Cloth Saturation is Key for Adequate Disinfection](http://talkcleantome.blogspot.ca/2012/09/slippery-when-wet-proper-cloth.html)" and "[The Top Disinfectant Offences for 2011](http://talkcleantome.blogspot.ca/2011/12/top-10-disinfectant-offences-for-2011.html)" there truly is a plethora of areas where processes can break down or where interactions between the disinfectant and the wipe substrate was not correctly considered (or understood). Weimken et al conducted a randomized trial with environmental services staff where participants were instructed to use either RTU wipes or the bucket method for cleaning and disinfection of 6 areas and then repeat the process with the opposite method.  Of interest was that the compliance score was highest for the RTU wipes and the time to complete the CD requirements was significantly lower than that for the bucket method.  The direct time-related cost savings for the RTU wipes was $38.58 per employee per day!  While the study did not investigate cost savings from a product cost perspective, what I can confirm from our experience in conducting the "[Is a Wipe a Wipe Study](https://info.virox.com/is-a-wipe-a-wipe)" is that non-woven disposable wipes take less chemical to saturate them to the appropriate level, provide a better metered release (meaning that the wipe evenly releases the disinfectant from the wipe over the surface being cleaned and disinfected) which leads to compliance with contact times (e.g. disinfection is more likely to be achieved). Certainly there are some limitations to disposable wipes.  As noted in my introduction, our use of disposable products have a direct impact on the environment.  The unfortunate truth is these wipes will need to be disposed of in landfills, however, the use of disposable wipes also means we will decrease the need for laundering of reusable cloths so there can be a savings from laundering and utilities savings with a reduction in water and power needed to complete the laundering process.  I've not yet seen the math to determine which process would ultimately be the "greenest" but as this study concludes "***the use of RTU Wipes improves compliance in the CD process which may lead to a reduction in the environmental bioburden which can lead to a reduction in HAIs***”.  As we know, HAIs are costly.  They directly impact a healthcare facility's bottom line and they cut short the lives of far too many loved ones. **  **  *Bugging Off! * Nicole ## Search All Resources ## Browse by Category - MSDS/SDS - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/companion-animal-msds) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/farm-animal-msds) - [Protocols & Procedures](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2014/06/disposables-time-and-money-savers.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/protocols-and-procedures-companion-animal) - • Farm Animal → [CDN](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/farm-animal-canada) | [USA](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/protocols-and-procedures-farm-animal) - [Technical Bulletins](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2014/06/disposables-time-and-money-savers.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/techncial-bulletins-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/technical-bulletins-farm-animal) - [Pathogen Fact Sheets](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/pathogen-fact-sheets) - [Industry Guidelines](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/industry-guidelines) - [Industry Publications](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2014/06/disposables-time-and-money-savers.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/industry-publications-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/industry-publications-farm-animal) - [Product Use Information](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2014/06/disposables-time-and-money-savers.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/product-use-information-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/product-use-information-farm-animal) - [Reference Sheets](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2014/06/disposables-time-and-money-savers.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/reference-sheets-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/reference-sheets-farm-animal) - [AHP® Abstracts & Research Posters](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2014/06/disposables-time-and-money-savers.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-abstracts-research-posters-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-abstracts-research-posters-farm-animal) - [AHP® Peer Reviewed Articles](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2014/06/disposables-time-and-money-savers.html#) - [• Companion Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-peer-reviewed-articles-companion-animal) - [• Farm Animal →](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-peer-reviewed-articles-farm-animal) - [AHP® vs Competitive Chemistries ](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/topic/ahp-vs-competitive-chemistries) - [ AHP® Compatibility ](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/ahp-compatibility) - [ Testimonials ](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/testimonials) - [ Videos ](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/videos) - [ Fear Free](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/fear-free-and-ahp) - [ Blog](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/blog)       [![BottomLogoGrey-VAH](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ViroxAnimalHealth/Logos/BottomLogoGrey-VAH.jpg?width=100&name=BottomLogoGrey-VAH.jpg "BottomLogoGrey-VAH")](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/) [CONTACT US](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/contact-us)  |  [PRIVACY POLICY](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/privacy-policy)  |  [TERMS OF USE](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/terms-of-use) [** ** (open in a new window)](https://www.youtube.com/user/ViroxAHP) [** ** (open in a new window)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/virox-animal-health) [** ** (open in a new window)](https://twitter.com/AHPbiosecurity) [** ** (open in a new window)](https://www.facebook.com/ViroxAnimalHealth/)   © 2003-2022 VIROX TECHNOLOGIES INC [Virox® Animal Health is a division of Virox® Technologies Inc.](http://www.virox.com/) Website by [BOLD](http://www.boldinternet.com/) AHP® and Design and Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® and Design are trademarks of Diversey, Inc.