What is Silver Ion Antimicrobial Fabric? Why Do You Need It When The Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) Is Raging?
Posted by LiLeah on
Antimicrobial fabric masks, clothes, and gloves have become necessities, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, people have been seeking protection against microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses.
There are many different methods of antimicrobial treatments that can be infused into the fabrics. So how do you source the best antimicrobial fabrics to manufacture your products?
What is Antimicrobial Fabric (Antibacterial Fabric)?
Most people have the idea that antimicrobial fabrics /antibacterial fabrics are materials that kill or slow the spread of microorganisms.
Antimicrobial fabrics are the fabric that can be treated, infused, or coated with different types of antimicrobial compounds to inhibit the growth of bacteria or fungus. Bacteria and fungus tend to grow in humid environments; practically, they love to stay on the surfaces of textiles that hold moisture and heat, especially when close to the human skin. That is the reason why the body smells. Those bacteria are actually living in sweaty areas of the body.
Good antimicrobial fabric does not only need to be durable with high-performance protection of the treated textile; it has to be safe for the human body without any harm to the skin. Most importantly, the best antimicrobial fabric must be environmentally-friendly
What is Silver Ion Antimicrobial Fabric?
Using pure silver to control infections or for medical purposes were very common in ancient time. Healers and surgeons recognized the healing benefits of silver. However, nowadays, the innovative technology of Silver Ion Antimicrobial is a silver-based active compound that can be built into polymers, coatings, textiles to offer protection against bacterial growth. We are actually living with microorganisms that surrounded our environments, which can cause sickness once it makes contact with the human body.
How Do Silver Ion Antimicrobial Fabrics Work?
When we touch the bacteria or any microorganism, the antimicrobial products will release the positively charged silver ion (Ag+) and make contact with the negatively charged cells by incorporating the cell membranes. After making contact with bacteria (negatively charged cells are called bacteria), the Ag(+) starts to destroy essential bad cell functions, such as the respiratory system, energy production, and ultimately results in cell death. The Ag+ will be leaving the particles to fight with the next bacteria to continue antimicrobial performance without causing any harm to the human body.
Are Silver Ion Antimicrobial Textiles Safe?
Silver ion antimicrobial treatment is now commonly used in our daily life. Nanosilver particles, silver ions, and various products are available on the market as antimicrobial treatments. People might be wondering if they are used extensively? Is it safe for our health or environments? What antimicrobial product is the most effective?
Traditionally, nanosilver particles had been wildly used on textiles as particles-based technology. However, there was a controversial finding that nanosilver particles might damage human cells, not to mention the technology was costly by processing the fabric production.
How Long Does Coronavirus Last On Clothing?
It has become mandatory in many countries that people wear a mask or protective glasses to avoid contracting viruses when going out, visiting a public area, or shopping in the supermarket. What about the clothes we wear? People might be afraid that coronavirus may stay on clothes and wonder how long the virus will stay.
The contagiousness of the model virus lasted for varying time spans on each fabric, the study conducted at De Montfort University, with infectious droplets on polyester having the longest survival rate at 72 hours. The virus on 100% cotton can be found for up to 24 hours and on polycotton for 6 hours.
❝ Our findings show that three of the most commonly used textiles in healthcare pose a risk for transmission of the virus. If nurses and healthcare workers take their uniforms home, they could be leaving traces of the virus on other surfaces. ❞
Silver Ion Antimicrobial Fabric Claims to Kill Coronavirus. Do They Actually Can?
People keep seeking all possibilities and developing new technology products constantly to offer protection against coronavirus. Antimicrobial masks, sportswear, clearance, shampoo, etc., everything antimicrobial has become the main selling products in the market.
Many of them claim their antimicrobial products kill or eliminate the coronavirus; others say their products help resist it. According to SPORTINGTEX®’s experience, bacteria can’t be 100% killed but inhibited from growth by smartly using fabric technology.
How do silver ions inhibit bacterial growth?
Silver ions punch holes in bacterial membranes and wreak havoc once inside. They bind to essential cell components like DNA, blocking the bacteria from performing even their most basic functions.
Bacteria/fungus like to stay in a warm and wet environment, helping them grow and produce a thousand generations so fast. If we provide them a dry and clean area with lots of silver ions fighters, bacteria won’t have the chance to survive on the fabrics’ surface.
SPORTINGTEX® provides smart fabrics that can be designed for brand owners’ needs in antimicrobial fabric products, to any textile made of natural or synthetic materials, such as polyester, nylon, and cotton. The combination of wicking and antimicrobial technology from SPORTINGTEX® keeps the fabric product resist the bacteria’s growth and keeps the fabric in freshness most of the time. Most importantly, socially distance, wash hands regularly, and pay attention to what you heard about the Coronavirus help reduce the risk of contracting bacteria directly.
Common Applications Of Silver Ion Antimicrobial Fabric
The new technology of silver ion antimicrobial fabric from SPORTINGTEX® can be used widely in our daily life. It can be applied and processed with multiple textiles, like natural materials (i.e., Cotton) or synthetic materials (i.e., Polyester/Nylon).
In the past, it was commonly used for medical supplies (i.e., Scrubs/ wound dressing) to prevent bacteria growth. Nowadays, it is used to raise the quality of human life and particularly for the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
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