Corona Virus SARS-COV 2 which leads to COVID-19 is a basic ‘enveloped’ virus. The virus is enclosed by a lipid membrane (a fat like substance,) this membrane (envelope) is used by the virus to attach itself to the host cell, the virus then penetrates the host cell and replicates itself. The envelope is actually quite fragile, and susceptible to changes in temperature, pH levels and disinfectants.
Examples of Enveloped Viruses Include:
- Chicken Pox
- Influenza A
- Hepatitis C
- HIV and of course, Coronaviruses
Like most enveloped viruses, outside of the human body they are very weak and easily destroyed with hot water and disinfectant (hence all the media advice to wash your hands!) Needless to say, you cannot kill viruses so easily once they are inside the human body, so never, ever consume a disinfectant!
There are various agents that are effective against enveloped viruses, the best one is actually common bleach, but you can’t go splashing that stuff around carpets, upholstery, leather and rugs! The most well known version is probably alcohol, such as in some hand sanitisers, it works very quickly but it evaporates so how long it will last is limited.
QATs (or quaternary ammonium compounds) take longer to work but provide longer lasting protection. They are best applied and left on the surface in order to (in effect) kill the virus. They disrupt the envelope membrane, which exposes the nucleocapsid, affecting its ability to infect subsequent cells.
The great thing about QAT’s is that WE CAN USE THEM ON PRETTY MUCH ALL SURFACES – any wet cleanable fabrics and hard surfaces – so we can pre-spray your carpets and upholstery, apply it by sprayer to floors, door handles and work surfaces. It’s actually best applied by misting, not by cloth (cloths are awful cross contaminants!)
Envirosafe is particularly useful in care homes, doctors’ surgeries, schools, homes where there has been an illness – any environment where virus and bacterial control is required.
So hopefully you now understand how Envirosafe works!
