Our experts from the Biomedical Research centre were asked to test the effectiveness of a new coating, manufactured by Urban Hygiene, a Doncaster based paint company.

Hospital superbugs are constantly in the news and many of them seem to be increasingly resistant to conventional methods of cleaning. Urban Hygiene came up with a new infection control coating called 'easy on', which can be applied to walls and surfaces within hospitals, and wanted to be sure it would help hospitals tackle the superbug problem.

What we did

Experts in the Biomedical Research Centre were brought in to test the effectiveness of 'easy-on'. They measured the number of bacteria that survived cleaning with detergent on surfaces such as wood and metal that had been coated with the solution, and the results were then compared with both acrylic and emulsion paints.

The results

Seven types of bacteria were tested. All seven remained present on surfaces painted with acrylic paint, and more than half lingered on areas coated with emulsion paint. On surfaces treated with 'easy-on', all traces of all the bacteria were removed.

They say

The 'easy-on' coating is a major breakthrough in the fight against MRSA. Hospital walls are potential breeding grounds for bacteria, and it's a fact that the more surfaces we clean, the fewer bacteria there will be to contribute towards the spread of infection.

Roy Johnson, director, Urban Hygiene