This is the first report of performance of purportedly safer alternatives for both cleaning and disinfection for use in home health care. The EP product and DIY are potential alternatives for some household uses.

Significance and Impact of the Study Surface hygiene is a critical component of food safety and infection control; increasingly, ATP detection by bioluminescence is used to evaluate surface hygiene and effective cleaning. This is the first study to show that the number of living and potentially infectious bacteria remaining when the device reads zero varies between the different bacterial life cycle phases: lag, log, stationary and death. ATP device users need to be aware of this information to use the devices appropriately. AbstractTo determine the detection limits of the SystemSure Plus, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus growth curve samples were taken in lag (1 h), log (6 h), stationary (12 h) and death phases (E. coli 144 h, Staph. aureus 72 h). At each time point, the log 10 CFU ml À1 was determined for the dilution where the SystemSure read 0 relative light units (RLU). Average detection limits were E. coli: lag 6Á27, log 5Á88, stationary 7Á45 and death 6Á88; Staph. aureus: lag 4Á37, log 5Á15, stationary 7Á88 and death 7Á57. Between-run precision was determined with positive control; within-run precision with positive control, lag and log growth for each bacteria. Within-run precision mean RLU (CV): positive control 274 (12%), E. coli lag 1 (63%), log 2173 RLU (19%), Staph. aureus lag 2 (58%) and log 5535 (18%). Between-run precision was 232 (16%). The precision is adequate with most values within the 95% confidence interval. The detection limit varied by 3Á51 log 10 for Staph. aureus and 1Á47 log 10 for E. coli. The lowest detection limits were during E. coli log and Staph. aureus lag phases; the highest was during stationary phase. These results suggest that organism identification and growth phase both impact ATP RLU readings.

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The study showed similar, not identical, C&D performance for 2 cleaning products with potentially different consequences for respiratory health. Additional research is needed to develop robust recommendations for safe, effective C&D in home care.

Aims Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) disinfection applications are limited by its rapid inactivation. The aims of this study were to (i) micro‐encapsulate H2O2 in silica hydrogels to obtain controlled release up to 72 h, (ii) test hydrogel antimicrobial activity against four common pathogens and (iii) assess H2O2 release kinetics and antimicrobial activity in 35–65% relative humidity and 37°C to approximate bandaged wound conditions. Methods and Results Hydrogels were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen sorption porosimetry, Brunauer Emmet Teller analysis and the Barret–Joyner–Halenda method. Hydrogels formed at lower pH demonstrated increased surface area and decreased pore size, resulting in H2O2 release lasting 72 h. Using agar well diffusion for antimicrobial activity, statistically significant zones of inhibition (as compared to controls) were seen for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomona aeruginiosa and Vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus faecalis. Activity remained for hydrogels aged for 72 h in humid, 37°C conditions. Conclusions Hydrogels can be synthesized to provide a continuous, controlled release of H2O2 for up to 72 h. Significance and Impact of the Study Stable, controlled‐release H2O2 hydrogels have potential applications for wound treatment and disinfection of medical equipment, through bonding to bandages or materials such as catheter lumens.