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 equip their home with beautiful but also useful things. Furniture handles, hangers, doorknobs or even decorative elements can help us in these difficult times for health. We don't need additional items - we just need to choose them consciously.

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

The world has been informed that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus lasts longer on smooth surfaces - metal or glass - than on rough ones. 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 metal is not the same and we will do much better if we do not produce more new plastic.

Furniture handles that viruses and bacteria don't like

Viruses, plagues and pandemics have been haunting humanity since time immemorial, from time to time. We forgot about them because they haven't made themselves known for a long time. That doesn't mean we have to live in glass bubbles now. Of course, 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 increasingly being investigated for possible use in a variety of settings, including clinics, industry, and even the home.

The innovation in antimicrobial surfaces is the discovery that copper and its alloys (brasses, bronzes, and others) are natural antimicrobial materials that have the specific ability to kill a wide range of microorganisms.

How to get rid of viruses and bacteria from your home

One of the studied metals that exhibit antimicrobial properties is the well-known silver. Its use is well-documented. Another great metal that copes with combating various microorganisms on its surface is copper. As humanity, we knew about this and used this propertyin ancient times, but now we have probably forgotten a bit. The antimicrobial mechanisms of copper have been studied for decades and are still being studied, because we can still learn a lot from it. We would like to present some of them as an important curiosity.

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 yourself 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) recommendations on nutrition, the average requirement for copper in adults is 1-2 mg. Fortunately, we can obtain copper from many products. Dark chocolate, leafy vegetables, legumes, lentils, nuts, offal (liver, kidneys) and all crustaceans contain copper and are beneficial to health.

Copper and copper alloy surfaces are an effective means of preventing the growth of bacteria. EPA tests included the following microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli 0157: H7 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and others. Over 355 copper alloys were found to contain:

• 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 antibacterial action, remaining effective in killing more than 99.9% of bacteria within two hours;

• Inhibits bacterial build-up and growth within two hours of exposure between cleaning and disinfection steps.

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

Copper and Brass Are the Best Microbe Killers

The antimicrobial effectiveness of copper alloy touch surfaces has been confirmed in many studies. Copper alloy surfaces have specific properties that destroy a wide range of microorganisms.

In the interest of protecting 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 in 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 for making door handles in the past, also shows 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 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.

Copper and brass combat fungi

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