Disinfectant wipes can seem like an easy 
option to disinfect surfaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. Label instructions for disinfectant wipes include a “allow to remain wet” statement for efficacy. In many cases, the surface needs to stay wet for at least 4 minutes in order to be effective. Check your product label to verify the time for your specific wipes.
How wet your wipe is to start, how large of a surface you use the wipe on, the surface type and environmental conditions will all impact how long the surface stays wet. In a simple test to evaluate the ability to maintain the required wet time, three disinfectant wipe products were tested on fours surfaces. In an indoor setting at 70 degrees and 60% relative humidity without much air movement these wipes were used on a finished wood surface, a solid countertop, a plastic folding table, and a plastic table cloth. In all cases one wipe on a 4 square foot surface area was dry within three minutes, not meeting the label instructions. If you are using wipes to disinfect surfaces at your farm determine if your wipes, and disinfection process, will allow your surfaces to stay wet for the required amount of time stated on your label instructions. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Only use wipes that have label instructions for disinfection of nonporous surfaces. Antibacterial wipes will not disinfect, nor will products that are labeled just for sanitation.
2. Notice the required wet time difference between sanitation and disinfection on the label, it is significant.
3. Test the wipes on your intended surface, timing the length that the surface will stay wet with normal environmental conditions. Do you have fans running in the heat of the summer? You may need to use multiple wipes to maintain the label instructed wet time.
4. Consider using a spray disinfectant on surfaces that you cannot maintain the required wet time.
5. If you are able to maintain the proper wet time, write disinfection instructions on the product so that staff can more easily read and follow the process.
