Development of a new vapour phase methodology for textiles disinfection

In this study, we used, for the first time, disinfectant in the vapour phase to treat fabrics and textiles. The methodology was applied to disinfect fabrics with different origins, such as cotton, linen, silk, wool, polyester, viscose, which are the most common raw materials used in clothing products. We vaporized three solutions based on ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, benzalkonium chloride, at different concentrations (1.5–0.05 - 0.01 mg/m3) to simulate the traditional disinfection processes (laundry washing, scrubbing, and surface cleaning) and at three different exposure times (1 -5- 10 min). Experimental results demonstrated that vapour phase disinfection could be a suitable alternative to the traditional processes, with very good efficiency in reducing microbial load. The main advantage of using vapour phase methodologies is related to cheapness, water consumption reduction, and easy-to-operate method in comparison to traditional methodologies such as the water-based. Moreover, there is no damage or lightning to the colour of the disinfected textiles.