An antimicrobial treatment is applied to a fabric, plastic or other substance to make it resistant to the growth of unwanted bacteria and fungi that can cause stains, odours and rot. Such treatments are applied to:

1. products that are exposed to severe environments such as tents and awnings,
2. consumer goods such as socks, underwear and activewear to control bacteria that can cause odours and staining,
3. products to differentiate them from others on the market,
4. control dust mites as part of an allergy and asthma program. (See Regulatory Information.)

Antimicrobial is a general term that refers to an agent or treatment that has either antibacterial or antifungal properties or both.

Antibacterial specifically refers to an agent or treatment that prevents the growth of bacteria.

Antifungal specifically refers to an agent or treatment that prevents the growth of fungi.

Ultra-Fresh and Silpure antimicrobial treatments have been formulated for use in a diverse range of products. View some common antimicrobial applications.

Ultra-Fresh and Silpure are sold to industrial users in more than 50 countries. For more information, please contact us.

The cost of using Ultra-Fresh and Silpure will vary depending on the type and level of application and the product used. Costs would typically be pennies per pound of treated material. Contact us for further information.

Our antimicrobial products are applied using standard equipment and normal manufacturing processes. For textiles this could be exhaust, pad (foulard), spraying, coating or foaming. In polymers it could be coating, extrusion, injection molding etc.

Our antimicrobial products are formulated to have minimal effect on the other properties of a treated product. We do, however, recommend that laboratory or plant trials be run before going into full production.

Most Ultra-Fresh and Silpure treatments are non-ionic and are compatible with softeners and other auxiliaries. However, as there is variation in the types of auxiliaries that are available around the world, we do recommend running compatibility tests before going into production.

We work closely with manufacturers to ensure that the correct treatment, procedures and level of Ultra-Fresh or Silpure are applied so that it will last for the life of the treated article.

Our Ultra-Fresh or Silpure brand is available free of charge to any user of our products that has demonstrated antimicrobial efficacy and has signed a Trademark License Agreement.

Our antimicrobial products are registered with the U.S. EPA. Registration is granted by the EPA only after chemical, toxicological and environmental fate data has been reviewed. The EPA requires this information under its mandate to protect the U.S. public and the environment. MSDS information is available to our customers upon request.