Germ-Killing Door Hardware
Door handles are notorious for carrying billions of harmful bacteria, germs, and viruses, but did you know your choice of hardware could make a have a big impact on your health? Shockingly the popularity of polished chrome, brushed nickel, and stainless steel handles continuously expose those we love to a lot of unnecessary germs. Alternatively, traditional door hardware choices including brass and bronze actually have antimicrobial properties that can kill up to 99.9% germs both naturally and fast!
For decades hospitals have used stainless steel and plastics, which are known to harbor microbes that can persist for weeks or months if not properly sanitized. Contaminated door handles endanger patients, hospital staff, and visitors alike. Seeking to find better materials for hardware in hospitals, the EPA has funded a recent study called the Copper Antimicrobial Project. The results of the study has hospitals and doctors paying attention to the benefits of using copper and its alloys (brass and bronze) to mitigate the spread of disease. These materials are natural germ-fighters, continuously kill bacteria, are safe to use, and don’t wear out.
The results showed that within two hours copper and its alloys (brass and bronze) reduce pathogenic bacteria by 99.9%. Microorganisms tested included Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci, Clostridium difficile (both spores and vegative form), Influenza A (H5N1), Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumanii, Listeria monocytogenes, Candida albicans, Klebsiella pneumonia, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella enteric, Salmonella Typhi, Vibrio cholerae and Campylobacter jejuni, and more.
Brass, copper, and bronze hardware continuously fights germs, killing some of the most life-threatening pathogens. If you’d like protect yourself, your family’s, your customer’s, or your employee’s health, bronze, copper, or brass door handles and faucets would be a simple way to start!
To learn more about how copper kills germs, read a great article by the National Institutes of Health here.
