Antibacterial and antiviral

How to protect your home from microorganisms

A modern interior must look good and be functional. This also means meeting the need to maintain hygiene and health of household members. In our store, we carefully select products so that everyone can furnish their home with things that are both beautiful and useful. Furniture handles, hangers, doorknobs, and even decorative elements can help us in these challenging times. We don't need additional items – we simply need to choose them consciously.

The NENA M handle is a classic furniture knob, made under the supervision of craftsmen in Poland.

The world has learned that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus persists longer on smooth surfaces – metal or glass – than on rough surfaces. However, it is easily "washable," so even when bringing plastic containers home, we should wash them with soap and water. However, please hold off, because not all metals are created equal, and we'll do much better if we don't produce more new plastic.

Furniture Handles That Viruses and Bacteria Hate

Viruses, plagues, and pandemics have been haunting humanity from time to time. We've forgotten about them because they haven't made themselves felt in ages. That doesn't mean we have to live in glass bubbles now. Of course, in this situation, it is worth considering what we surround ourselves with and how to improve the hygiene of our surroundings.

An antimicrobial surface is one that contains an agent that inhibits the ability of microorganisms to grow on the surface of the material. Such surfaces are being increasingly researched for possible use in various settings, including clinics, industry, and even at home.

An innovation in antimicrobial surfaces is the discovery that copper and its alloys (brass, bronze, and others) are naturally antimicrobial materials that have the specific ability to destroy a wide range of microorganisms.

How to get rid of viruses and bacteria from your home

One of the studied metals that exhibits antimicrobial properties is the well-known silver. Its use is well documented. Another great metal that can fight various microorganisms on its surface is copper. As humans, we knew this and took advantage of this property in ancient times, but nowadays we seem to have somewhat forgotten about it. The antimicrobial mechanisms of copper have been studied for decades and continue to be studied, as we can still learn a great deal from it. We'd like to present some of these as interesting facts.

Recent clinical studies show that touch surfaces made of hygienic copper can reduce the risk of clinical infections by up to 58%. By using our raw copper handles, you guarantee the best protection against unwanted microorganisms.

We also remind you that copper is an important element in the diet of humans and other living organisms. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) nutritional recommendations, the average adult copper requirement is 1-2 mg. Fortunately, we can obtain copper from many products. Dark chocolate, leafy vegetables, legumes, lentils, nuts, organ meats (liver, kidney), and all shellfish contain copper and are beneficial for health.

Copper and copper alloy surfaces are effective in preventing bacterial growth. EPA tests included the following microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli 0157: H7, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, among others. Over 355 copper alloys have been found to:

• Constantly reduce bacterial contamination, achieving a 99.9% reduction within two hours of exposure;

• Kill more than 99.9% of bacteria within two hours of exposure;

• Provide continuous antimicrobial action, maintaining effectiveness in killing more than 99.9% of bacteria within two hours;

• Inhibits bacterial buildup and growth within two hours of exposure between cleaning and disinfection steps.

In medical applications, EPA-approved antimicrobial copper products include handrails, grab bars, bedside tables, sinks, faucets, doorknobs, restroom fixtures, computer keyboards, and more.

Copper and brass are the best agents for killing microorganisms

The antimicrobial effectiveness of copper alloy touch surfaces has been confirmed in numerous studies. Copper alloy surfaces have the specific ability to destroy a wide range of microorganisms.

In the interest of public health, especially in medical environments, numerous tests have been conducted over the past 10 years on the effectiveness of copper in destroying E. coli O157: H7, methicillin, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus, Clostridium difficile, influenza A virus, adenovirus, and fungi. Stainless steel has also been studied because it is an important surface material in today's healthcare environments.

Recent studies have shown that copper alloy surfaces kill over 99.9% of microbes after just 1-2 hours. Microbes can survive on stainless steel surfaces for weeks.

For the most part, the bacterial kill rate of copper alloys increased with increasing copper content in the alloy.

Brass, which was often used to make doorknobs and handles in the past, also demonstrates bactericidal effectiveness, but over a slightly longer period of time than pure copper. All nine brasses tested were almost completely bactericidal (over 99.9% mortality) at 20°C within 60–270 minutes. Many of them were almost completely bactericidal at 4°C - this took 180-360 minutes.

The rate of complete microbial death on the four bronzes tested ranged from 50-270 minutes at 20°C and from 180 to 270 minutes at 4°C. C.

Copper and brass fight fungi

The antifungal effectiveness of copper was compared to that of aluminum. The organisms selected for this purpose were those that can cause infections in humans: Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus niger, and Candida albicans. An increased die-off of fungal spores was observed on copper surfaces, which was not observed, for example, on aluminum. In the case of the fungus Aspergillus niger, the number of spores increased on aluminum coupons, while growth on and around copper coupons was inhibited.