Frequently Asked Questions about
Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectants and their Use

What is Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant?

• Readout Virucidal Disinfectant™ Wipes and Readout Virucidal Disinfectant™ Spray are US EPA registered Disinfectants and Cleaners for hard inanimate environmental surfaces, such as those found in a hospital, medical or dental office, veterinary office, ambulance, ambulatory surgical center, nursing home, laboratory, pharmacy, school, salon or spa, tattoo parlor, mortuary, or anywhere disinfection of surfaces is essential to protecting the health of patients, clients, staff, or visitors..

Why is the scope of the Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant Kill Claims Important

• When cleaning and disinfecting a Dental Operatory, Medical Office, Hospital, Ambulatory Care Center, Nursing Home, Ambulance, or anywhere there is the potential for cross contamination between patients and between patients and staff, the scope of a product’s kill claims is extremely important for the health of all patients, staff and visitors. Disease causing pathogens can attach to surfaces where they wait until contact is made with another patient, staff member, or visitor. While some products are good at killing particular bacteria or viruses, or a combination of some types of bacteria and viruses, it is essential to use a product that quickly kills pathogens in all categories, including drug resistant bacteria, encapsulated bacteria, gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, pathogenic fungi, and large and small and enveloped and non-enveloped viruses.

What pathogens are Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectants effective against?

• Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant is a broad-spectrum healthcare disinfectant. In both its liquid form and saturated into towelettes, it is effective against gram negative and gram positive bacteria, including drug resistant strains such as MRSA and VRE; encapsulated Mycobacteria responsible for the spread of Tuberculosis; Trichophyton interdigitale the fungus responsible for the spread of Athlete’s Foot and Ringworm; and both small and large viruses, enveloped and non-enveloped, including the hardest to kill human virus Poliovirus, as well as Norovirus, Rhinovirus, and many others.  It also kills four veterinary-specific pathogens.

What is a True One Minute™ Formula?

• It has a one minute Contact Time, so it kills ALL pathogens on its label in JUST one minute, when enough formula is applied to a surface to remain wet for that time.

What is the difference between Kill Time and Product Contact Time?

• Kill Time is the time that it takes a disinfectant to kill an individual pathogen or group of pathogens.
• Product Contact Time is the time that it takes a disinfectant to kill all the pathogens listed on the product’s EPA-accepted label.
  o A product that kills most pathogens in one minute, but requires five minutes to kill a single pathogen, has a five-minute product contact time and must remain wet on a surface for the full five minutes.
  o Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant kills all pathogens listed on the label in one minute. Therefore, Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant has a one-minute product contact time, and only needs to remain wet on a surface for one minute to be fully effective.

What does “One Step Clean and Disinfect” mean?

• A surface that is visibly soiled must be cleaned before disinfecting with any registered disinfectant. Where a surface is not visibly soiled only a “One Step” product can be used to both clean any unseen surface contamination and also disinfect the surface in a single step. Products that are not “One Step” require at least two wipes, even if the surface looks clean.
• Combination disinfecting and cleaning products can be tested for germicidal efficacy on pathogens without an organic load (i.e. blood) present, or in the presence of a minimum 5% organic load. Where testing is done without an organic load present, the EPA requires that the product label specify that cleaning and disinfection are two separate steps. Where testing is done in the presence of the required organic load, the EPA permits the product label to designate cleaning and disinfection in a single step if the surface appears visually clean.
• Heavy soil and contamination (i.e. body fluids) must always be removed first, regardless of the product being used. Decontamination of an HIV or Hepatitis infected surface always requires a pre-cleaning step prior to the use of any disinfecting and/or disinfecting and cleaning product.
• Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant and Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant Wipes were tested in the presence of a 5% organic load and therefore is designated as a “One Step Clean and Disinfect” product.

How much Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant do I need to use?

• Because Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant can be used for a “One Step Clean and Disinfect” process, you will need to use less liquid spray or fewer wipes than you will use with some other brands that are not classified as a “One Step” product.
• The exact amount of product required will depend on the size of the surface and the type of surface being disinfected. Since the product works to kill all the pathogens listed on the label in one minute, it is only necessary to wet the surface being disinfected so that the surface remains wet for one minute. Use only as much spray or as many wipes as necessary to keep the surface wet for one minute.

Is Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant safe for use on most surfaces?

Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant is compatible with a wide variety of surface materials, including those found in the healthcare environments where the product is most likely to be used. Use on hard, non-porous surfaces: stainless steel, Formica®, glass, glazed porcelain, sealed quartz, sealed stone, other hard and soft metals, most painted surfaces, and most plastics. If there is a question about compatibility it is recommended to test on an inconspicuous area before application over a broader surface.

• Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant does not contain any phenols, chlorine, glutaraldehyde, peroxide, acids, or caustic soda, or any substance that may leave a residue, discolor, or etch the surface being treated.
• Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant is non-staining and deodorizes the surfaces that it cleans and disinfects.

What if Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant gets on my hands?

• The EPA and Health Canada recognize the low toxicity of Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant and therefore does not require any language on the label that suggests that the product requires the use of gloves. While the policies of an individual institution may require the use of gloves to prevent the spread of disease, such use of gloves is not required to protect any individual from any of the ingredients in the product.
• The product label includes a caution to wash hands after using any alcohol product because of the possibility that a user will touch their eyes while their hands are wet with alcohol. If the product gets in the eyes the product may sting and may cause some redness but will not cause any long-term damage.

What is the difference between Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant Wipes and Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant spray?

• Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant is available in 32 oz. spray bottles, and pre-saturated wipes/towelettes in canisters and softpacks. Wipes contain a pre-measured amount of the same product found in Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant.

Why does the product have a high percentage of alcohol?

• While alcohol by itself is a decent cleaner and disinfectant, when combined in the proprietary Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant formula, it becomes extremely efficient in killing the pathogens listed on the label in one minute.
• Ethyl Alcohol at 72.5% concentration by weight (w/w) is similar to the concentration of alcohol used in professional antiseptic healthcare handwash products. When combined with 0.33% of Didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, a fourth-generation quaternary ammonium compound, Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant becomes highly effective at killing the pathogens listed on the label in one minute.
• While there is no amount of alcohol that can be harmful to most surfaces the same cannot be said for some quaternary ammonium compounds. Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant balances the amount of alcohol and quaternary ammonium compound to kill the pathogens listed on the label quickly, without harming the surfaces being disinfected or leaving a residue on the surface.
• Some alcohol-quat products on the market use approximately twice as much quaternary ammonium compound as Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant, thereby presenting a risk for residue and surface degradation associated with an over-concentration of quat.

What is the difference between Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting of
Non-Food Contact Surfaces (surfaces not used for the processing, preparation, or serving of food)?

• Cleaning removes visible dirt or other contaminants but does not kill any micro-organisms that may be responsible for the spread of disease in humans.
• Sanitizing kills 99.9% of Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae or Enterobacter aerogenes only, within 5 minutes. This level of pathogen removal is not acceptable for healthcare institutions or medical / dental offices.
• Disinfecting:
  • Low Level Disinfection is the process of killing from 99.9% to 99.999% of specific Vegetative Bacteria, Fungi, and Enveloped (lipohilic) viruses, which are listed on a product label. Low Level Disinfection does not kill M. bovis (surrogate) the encapsulated mycobacteria responsible for the spread of Tuberculosis, or bacterial spores. This level of pathogen removal is not acceptable for healthcare institutions or medical / dental offices.
  • Intermediate Level Disinfection is the process of killing from 99.9% to 99.999% of specific Vegetative Bacteria, M. bovis, Fungi, Enveloped (lipohilic) viruses, and Non-enveloped (hydrophilic) viruses, which are listed on a product label. Intermediate Level Disinfection does not kill bacterial spores. Intermediate Level Disinfectants are most commonly found in healthcare institutions and medical / dental offices, in the form of either liquid spray products or pre-saturated wipes, or both. Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant Wipes and Readout™ Virucidal Disinfectant Sprays are Intermediate Level Disinfectants.
  • High Level Disinfection is the process of killing all the pathogens that are killed by Intermediate Level Disinfectants, as well as killing bacterial spores (i.e. Clostridium difficile). High Level Disinfectants are liquid chemical products usually used to reprocess semi-critical and critical medical instruments, as an alternative to Sterilization by means of autoclave, ethylene oxide gas, or other traditional means of Sterilization.