Anti- Microbial fabrics
With the strain of the new coronavirus hitting the nation, its clear covid isn’t going anytime soon.
Our fabric suppliers have been hot on developing anti- microbial finishes for fabrics which combats the virus spreading through fabrics.
For some its an additional finish but it really depends on which range you select from. If we know that your furniture is going into the healthcare sector, we suggest particular ranges with antimicrobial properties.
Panaz and Camira both have antimicrobial fabrics within their ranges, however if this is something you really want to add to your furniture, please ensure it is requested at the beginning of your enquiry.
Panaz
Panaz antimicrobial finish comes in the form of ‘shield plus’.
Shield plus is a unique and enduring antimicrobial treatment employed on all Panaz healthcare upholsteries and on selected print base cloths for curtains. It lasts with the fabric and does not wash out. It doesn’t leach into the environment or skin and stays on the fabric for its life cycle. Curtain fabrics can be washed at thermal disinfection temperatures without the fabric depleting.
How does it work?
Almost all antimicrobials such as pesticides, disinfectants, or sanitizers act by leaching into the air or dissolving in a liquid to be absorbed by the microbe. Depending on the type of antimicrobial, the active ingredient is either dissipated rapidly or over a period of time. The dosage is crucial. Too little and the target organism is not controlled and can adapt, too much and other living things can be harmed. With Shieldplus not dissipating, it acts by rupturing the cell membrane of the micro-organism. Rupturing interrupts the normal life process and destroys the cell.
This is just one of the amazing properties that some our Panaz’s upholstery fabrics holds. Get in touch for more information.
Camira
Another version of the anti-microbial is Staysafe from Camira. Camira Staysafe has been independently tested on wool, Polyester and Trevia CS fabrics and is safe, durable, with no impact of colour or flammability performance.
Fabric tests
ISO 18184
This test determines the antiviral activity of textile products, against specific virus strains. We have used the enveloped influenza virus H1N1 (also known as swine flu) as our reference strain, which has a similar mode of function to SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19). Under external laboratory conditions, the presence of virus particles on a textile treated with Camira StaySafe is reduced by 97% within two hours – the standard industry timeframe against which treatments are monitored.
AATCC 147
This test determines the antibacterial activity of treated textile products, using two types of bacteria: Staphylococcus Aureus, which can cause skin infections, and Klebsiella Pneumonia, which can cause pneumonia and meningitis. Commonly known as the Parallel Streak method, 5 streaks of bacteria are drawn across a petri dish, a fabric sample laid over them and left for 24 hours after which the “zone of inhibition” is assessed. Fabrics treated with Camira Stay Safe show no bacterial growth on or around the fabric.
