Using unflushable cleansing wipes in care homes and hospitals is a dangerous false economy that puts lives at risk, warns infection control specialist DDC Dolphin.
Low-grade wipes that cannot be macerated or flushed will block drains and damage expensive sluice room equipment – leading to machine downtime and a higher risk of infection.
Care home and hospital staff have to separate unflushable wipes from maceratable medical pulp. That means more contact and higher infection risks – in the midst of the Covid-19 second wave.
Wastewater companies have been urging people not to throw unflushable wipes down the toilet. The wipes can do untold environmental damage and create huge ‘fatbergs’ that block public sewers.
A number of wipes manufacturers had claimed their products were flushable. But – until recently – none were.
Earlier this year DDC Dolphin launched the UK’s first 100% natural hygiene wipes that could be flushed, macerated or composted – without harming the planet.
DDC Dolphin’s Hygenex biodegradable wipes are specially designed for hospitals, care homes and domiciliary care work. They can be disposed of in bedpan washers, macerators, slop hoppers or toilets – without jamming machines or blocking plumbing.
The wet and dry wipes contain no plastic. Unlike other patient care wipes, they are manufactured from 100% non-woven cellulosic material to make them eco-friendly.
They can be flushed directly into drains because they disintegrate soon after immersion, breaking down naturally into 100% organic, non-toxic substances.
The wipes are fully tested and compliant, passing all seven flushability tests set by the:
European Disposables and Nonwovens Association (EDANA)
International Nonwovens and Disposables Association (INDA).
DDC Dolphin Marketing Director Zoe Allen said: “Trying to save a few pennies on a packet of low-grade wipes is a dangerous – and potentially expensive – false economy because you can’t put them into a macerator.
“If you do, you risk blocking the machines for hours or even days. That creates a major infection control risk – and unblocking the machine means extra maintenance costs.
“Poor quality wipes also risk blocking drains at your property; yet another infection control risk, along with the added cost of clearing the drains.”
There was “no excuse for putting lives at risk by penny-pinching” – especially now the government had:
added a further £546 million to the Infection Control Fund for care homes
made £300 million available to 117 NHS trusts to improve infection control at A&E units.
DDC Dolphin’s Hygenex wipes can be used for a wide range of personal hygiene and surface cleaning tasks. Uses include:
- hand and face cleaning
- skin care and general patient hygiene
- post-toilet cleansing and intimate hygiene.
- Despite being 15% stronger than competitor wipes, Hygenex wipes are:
- soft, gentle and very absorbent
- free from soap, lanolin and alcohol
- pH balanced, dermatologically tested, hypoallergenic and suitable for sensitive skin.
Poole-based DDC Dolphin manufactures and exports sluice room equipment across the world, safeguarding patients and clinicians from dangerous infections including superbugs.
The company manufactures and supplies medical pulp macerators, incontinence product macerators, bedpan washer disinfectors, UV air purifiers, stainless steel furniture and sluice room consumables.
DDC Dolphin is one of only three companies in the world specialising in the manufacture of medical pulp macerators. The machines’ hands-free technology makes it safer to dispose of human waste.
For more information, please contact DDC Dolphin Marketing Director Zoe Allen, 01202 731555, info@ddcdolphin.com, https://ddcdolphin.co.uk
