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Strip Curtains Direct are proud to have exclusive rights within the UK for our unique anti-microbial plastic door curtains that are produced in association with SteriTouch Ltd and Vinyl Compounds Ltd. The benefit of this type of curtain is that it is ideal for use in areas where food hygiene has to be controlled, making them ideal plastic door curtains for schools. The anti-microbial barrier is created with the use of silver ion technology – which is a relatively new concept. In previous years, anti-bacterial barriers have tended to be copper based. So, what is the benefit of silver over copper?
Copper became popular as an anti-microbial barrier as its alloys are naturally effective as an anti-bacterial agent. However, for any product using copper as an antimicrobial element to be compliant in Europe and the US, then the copper must be used in its elemental form. Unfortunately, copper tends to tarnish over time and so this requirement can have aesthetic as well as maintenance issues. For example, in the food industry using copper for hand dryers would not be practical or cost-effective! Copper is also not supported under the Biocidal Products Regulation and is also only really suitable for use in materials of a dark colour. This is not to say that Copper is all bad – it does have its uses, most notably in wood preservatives but generally Copper is not really suitable for consumer products. Silver, on the other hand, works fantastically well as innovative methods of carrying it have led to it being used in coatings, plastics, rubber, and paint to offer a permanent way of preventing bacteria, mould and biofilm developing.
The active components that are used within the SteriTouch plastic door curtain are supported by the EU Biomedical Products Regulation and are also approved by the FDA and EPA for use across America. Although anti-microbial additives are very beneficial to many industries as they guard against bacteria, mould and algae there are certain occasions where the use of an anti-microbial additive can have a negative effect on the base material. For example, impact and tensile strength can sometimes be reduced when using antimicrobials, but these can mostly be resolved by using other additives as impact modification. SteriTouch is experts in the field of antimicrobials and have an extensive range of mechanical test equipment that show that the products made using their silver-ion additive are not negatively affected by them.
Many people also worry about whether the silver ion technology used in the anti-microbial products will wear off, especially if they are going to be scrubbing the plastic door curtains with strong cleaning chemicals. Again, our partners SteriTouch and Vinyl Compounds Ltd have undertaken independent lab tests to reassure us that there will be no loss of efficiency in out anti-microbial door curtains even if they are subject to extreme treatment.
So, why not see for yourself how safe and secure our PVC plastic door curtains are – whatever you need them for by checking out our website at www.stripcurtainsdirect.co.uk. Alternatively you can give us a call on 0333 999 7171 or email us at info@stripcurtainsdirect.co.uk
