FAQ

A. The SilvaClean® System is an EPA-approved, patented water-based ionic silver laundry additive to reduce post-laundry contamination. SilvaClean will kill 99.9% of S. aureus after 6 hours of contact and 99.9% of K. pneumoniae after 3 hours of contact with SilvaClean-treated fabric (cotton, cotton/polyester blend and microfiber materials).

As part of a diligent infection control program, experts recommend that a hospital should seek to reduce or eliminate exposure to pathogens to the greatest extent practical. One practical,
inexpensive way to aid in this effort is to use SilvaClean® laundry additive.

SilvaClean® technology uses a proprietary hardware module to deliver an ionic silver treatment into each laundry cycle, all managed by intelligent 24/7 cloud-based monitoring software. Sports organizations can see immediate benefits from SilvaClean’s turnkey approach and do not have to modify their current inventory management or laundry process to adopt it.

A. An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms (eg. bacteria, fungi, or virus) or prevents them from growing. There are two types: (1) Bactericides/Fungicide and (2) Bacteristats/Fungistat. Bactericides/Fungicides kill microorganisms that exist on a surface while bacteristats/fungistats only prevent bacteria from multiplying.

A. SilvaClean is a residual antimicrobial that preserves and protects fabrics. Like a bactericide/fungicide, it kills 99.9% of Staphylococcus aureus in 6 hours and 99.9% of Klebsiella pneumoniae in 3 hours.

A. Unlike chlorine, quaternary ammonium compounds (quats.) and peroxide additives, the SilvaClean, when treated onto fabrics, is effective when the fabrics are used. SilvaClean remaining in linens will reduce levels of Staphylococcus aureus by 99.9 % after 6 hours of contact and Klebsiella pneumoniae by 99.9% after 3 hours of contact to aid hospitals in their infection control efforts.

A. As part of a diligent infection control program, experts recommend that a hospital should
seek to reduce or eliminate exposure to pathogens to the greatest extent practical. One practical, inexpensive way to aid in this effort is to use SilvaClean® laundry additive. It provides residual post-laundry activity against S. aureus after 6 hours of contact and K. pneumoniae after 3 hours of contact when textiles such as bed linens and patient gowns are laundered through the SilvaClean program and properly stored. SilvaClean may be a helpful addition to an Infection Control program. SilvaClean is not a substitute for any existing component of a diligent Infection Control program. Practitioners should continue to implement fully all infection control measures.

A. SilvaClean is made up of silver ions, which should not be confused with nano-silver. Silver ions are the bioactive form that gives silver it’s antimicrobial properties. This is the same form that occurs naturally in foods like wheat, mushrooms and sea vegetables. One notable difference between ionic silver and nano-silver is that ionic silver is easily measured and its delivery via SilvaClean is tightly controlled. For nano-silver to show antimicrobial properties, it has to shed silver ions. The rate of this release is hard to predict because it varies with the environmental variables (moisture, pressure, heat, etc.). As such, the EPA has begun to revoke products with nano-silver as they are unpredictable and pose potential environmental risks.

A. A silver ion is a silver atom minus an electron. The missing electron is what gives the silver ion its positive charge. An ion is already in its active state which provides several benefits over particulate and nano silver. For example, ions are more aggressive towards bacteria, mildew and mold than particulate or nano silver. They work against bacteria, mildew and mold in low moisture environments and work faster in high moisture environments.

A. SilvaClean is stable in fabric and has shown efficacy in real-time stability studies over 4 years. However, during use, the silver ions in the treated fabric may become “used up”. When the fabric is re-laundered, it gets replenished with a fresh treatment of SilvaClean so you never have to worry about the textile remaining persistent.

A. SilvaClean antimicrobial treatment does not change the way fabric looks, nor does it change the way it feels, and will improve the cleanliness of the fabric and reduce any odor attributed to microorganisms. In fact, it is impossible to tell that SilvaClean is present with the naked eye so Applied Silver has created a test kit, SilvaSure® that tests the treated textiles for the presence of SilvaClean.

A. SilvaClean utilizes pure silver and there are no known allergic reactions to silver in this form. Perceived silver allergies such as those to sterling silver jewelry are actually reactions to other elements in the silver based alloy, most commonly nickel.

A. The SilvaClean product is registered for use as a laundry additive by the Federal EPA and the California Department of Pesticide Registration for industrial use. SilvaClean has been intensively tested for concentration of silver in effluents as part of that approval process. Any residual silver ions in the waste water are at levels significantly below the EPA’s and the city Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) requirements.

A. SilvaClean is an antimicrobial laundry additive that reduces post-laundry contamination. SilvaClean product registration falls under the regulatory authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), specifically, the Antimicrobials Division (7510P) under the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP). EPA regulates pesticides under the statutory authority of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which defines an Antimicrobial pesticide as that which is intended to disinfect, sanitize, reduce, or mitigate growth of development of microorganisms; or protect inanimate objects from contamination caused by microorganisms. href= https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/antimicrobial-pesticides> Read more at the EPA website here

A. Yes. SilvaClean is compatible with all brands of detergent, bleach, sours, softeners, breaks, etc. SilvaClean treatment does not change the way the fabric looks or feels. Silver ions are much smaller than the eye can see and cannot be seen on textiles and do not result in any discoloration of the treated textile. SilvaClean antimicrobial technology is designed for industrial water (i.e. softened water) but works efficiently with varying water profiles.

A. Yes, SilvaClean is approved by the EPA to be used for industrial use including use in all hospitals which include neonatal, pediatric, PICUs, etc.

A. Yes. SilvaClean® is safe to use with infants. The exposure levels have been analyzed and approved by EPA to be safe for use with infants.

A. The cost of treating your textiles with SilvaClean is about 50% less than using disposables. SilvaClean antimicrobial textile treatment is implemented in the laundering process on current linen inventory. No new textiles need to be purchased. SilvaClean does not require any new protocols or procedural changes unlike other technologies (e.g. copper hard surfaces, ultraviolet light machines, etc.). When compared to other infection prevention techonolgies as relative cost per patient day, SilvaClean is the cheapest option. For example, SilvaClean is more affordable than threaded/embedded antimicrobial textiles, copper hard surfaces, disposable textiles, UV light robots, hydrogen peroxide vapor machines and even bleach!

A. SilvaClean works. Other antimicrobial textiles on the market containing silver require moisture for their products to be activated and to work. SilvaClean is already in an active state to exhibit antimicrobial characteristics. In addition, unlike other antimicrobial textiles, the SilvaClean antimicrobial treatment never loses its ability kill 99.9% of Staphylococcus aureus in 6 hours and 99.9% of Klebsiella pneumoniae in 3 hours. While competing products lose performance after laundering, SilvaClean® is reapplied during each laundering to ensure that performance is maintained.

A. Click here to see our educational packet: Education Packet

A. Yes. A study was carried out in three community hospitals to measure the effectiveness of SilvaClean® on patient textiles. SilvaClean exhibited a reduction of microbial bioburden on patient textiles before and after use. In addition, it showed a reduction of MRSA and S. Aureus on patient gowns before and after use. Click here to find the study: “Reduction in bacterial contamination of hospital textiles by a novel
silver-based laundry treatment”

A. Yes. Under the product registration “Laundry additive to reduce post-laundry contamination”, the EPA has approved SilvaClean for public health uses. SilvaClean can be recommended as a useful addition to aid Infection Control at hospitals and sports programs. It kills 99.9% of Staphylococcus aureus after 6 hours of contact and Klebsiella pneumoniae after 3 hours of contact. See approved EPA label on the EPA’s Website

A. Yes. Under the product registration “treated article exemption”, the EPA has approved SilvaClean for use in protection of treated textiles from stain- and odor- causing bacteria mold and mildew. See approved EPA label on the EPA’s Website

A. As part of a diligent sports medicine infection control program, experts recommend that athletic programs should seek to reduce or eliminate exposure to pathogens to the greatest extent practical. One practical, inexpensive way to aid in this effort is to use SilvaClean® laundry additive. It provides residual post-laundry activity against S. aureus after 6 hours of contact and K. pneumoniae after 3 hours of contact
when textiles such as bed linens and patient gowns are laundered through the SilvaClean program and properly stored. SilvaClean may be a helpful addition to an Infection Control program. SilvaClean is not a substitute for any existing component of a diligent Infection Control program. Practitioners should continue to implement fully all infection control measures.

A. In theory, microorganisms can develop resistance to any antimicrobial agent when overused. However, there is very little evidence today that resistance to silver can become a major threat. Due to silver ions’ multi-modal mechanism, it is more difficult for microbes to acquire resistance to silver compared to antibiotics that generally have a single mode of action. Additionally, silver is already used in a wide variety of medical products such as ointments, hard surface coating etc.

A. It is widely accepted that textiles are fomites capable of harboring microorganisms for extended periods of time. This occurrence results in two potential outcomes:
1. Spread of microorganisms from this source to other surfaces. In the hospital setting, these microorganisms, when pathogenic or infectious in nature, can potentially cause Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs). When SilvaClean is introduced as a component of an Infection Control bundle, it can aid in control environmental sources of microbial contamination. A study done by Openshaw et. al. and published in the American Journal of Infection Control demonstrates that treated hospital linens had a lower microbial load (including lower loads of S. aureus and MRSA). Additionally, Applied Silver has also published a clinical surveillance study done at three hospitals where an Infection Control bundle, of which SilvaClean was a part of, resulted in a 43% reduction in HAI rates over the period of the study.
2. Deterioration of fabric over time due to metabolic activities of the microorganisms. SilvaClean reduces the amount of stain- and odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew on the fabrics, protecting them and extending the life of use.