Antimicrobial effects of bleaching agents: Part 2 - Studies on bacteria, yeast, mould and phage

Low-temperature domestic washing (i.e. <40°C) may be regarded as non-hygienic because of lack of thermal inactivation of microorganisms. Other means (i.e. bleaching agents) must therefore be considered to compensate for the low temperature and achieve hygienic effects. In this study, the biocidal activity of common bleaching systems (TAED, NOBS, PAP) was examined using the standard suspension test with selected microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, mould, phage) to determine the bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal properties of the bleaching systems in question. The results showed that the biocidal effect of the bleaching systems in question is influenced by the following parameters: presence of activator, pH, concentration, perborate to activator ratio, temperature and presence of soil. It was demonstrated that bleaching agents are able to improve the hygienic status of low-temperature textile washing.