The market for antimicrobial coatings has dramatically increased during the past year and the COVID-19 pandemic, although protecting various products or surfaces with germ resistant coatings is an attractive feature anytime. According to a report on the antimicrobial coatings market, this market segment is expected to increase over the next five years led mostly by the medical and healthcare industry, although many other markets are taking notice and offering germ resistant coatings on a variety of products.
Antimicrobial coatings are ideal on high touch surfaces such as handrails, door knobs, office equipment, and appliances. If you stop and think about how many times your refrigerator door is touched, either by adults grabbing the handle or children and toddlers touching and slobbering on every surface they come into contact with, you realize the benefit of antimicrobial coatings on appliances.
In fact, a study from 2017 in the Journal of Food Protection, Prevalence of Pathogens and Indicator Organisms in Home Kitchens and Correlation with Unsafe Food Handling Practices and Conditions, revealed that nearly half of the 100 homes tested, 45%, showed a positive reading for foodborne disease-causing pathogens. Of the homes tested, 15% showed the presence of listeria and E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus was identified in 39% of homes and found most often on countertops and door handles of refrigerators. Additionally, 12% of all homes tested showed multiple pathogens present in home kitchens with the refrigerator being one of the top 5 main culprits of housing pathogens on the surface and inside the fridge like in meat drawers.
Protect Your Kitchen with Antimicrobial Appliance Coatings
Your kitchen should be a place of gathering, coming together to cook a good meal or enjoy a lazy weekend breakfast. The last thing you want to worry about is getting sick from cooking in your own kitchen. Many appliance manufacturers are taking notice of consumer demand and offering appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers and ovens which feature antimicrobial surfaces. Because what you cannot see can make you sick, household items and appliances featuring antimicrobial surfaces are making their way into more U.S. homes than ever before.
UNICHEM Leads the Way with Antimicrobial Coating Technology
Universal Chemicals & Coatings, UNICHEM, offers uniCLER antimicrobial coating technology which is helping appliance manufacturers to satisfy consumer demand. uniCLER can be incorporated into a wide variety of our coatings and is proven to deliver long-lasting antimicrobial performance for the service life of the coating. Non-treated surfaces allow for harmful pathogens to multiply and once microbes infiltrate painted surfaces premature degradation of the product can occur with staining and odor.
UNICHEM offers high quality custom coatings and finishes, including decorative finishes which replicate stainless steel, brushed nickel, copper, brass, and more. Our uniCLER antimicrobial coating technology helps to prevent the spread of harmful pathogens and protect product integrity for many surface coatings on a variety of products and surfaces.
UNICHEM has been a leading custom chemicals and coatings manufacturer for more than 50 years, providing solutions to manufacturers which improve product quality while delivering cost-saving efficiencies. We offer a wide selection of high quality industrial adhesives, gasket and sealing compounds, drum and pail coatings, and many other industrial and commercial chemical coatings. Contact us with any questions about improving your product and appliance surfaces with antimicrobial coating technology.