Enviro-friendly frame cleaning?

February 16, 2021 Staff reporters

A first-of-its-kind study of frame material compatibility with surface cleaners containing environmentally friendly active ingredients shows there are safe options to incorporate into practice sanitisation protocols if used as directed.

The study, commissioned by Hilco Vision and conducted at Colt Laboratories, included short- and long-term exposure to five natural active ingredients on more than 30 common frame materials, including supporting frame components like screws and nose pads.

“Sanitisation of practices has understandably been of elevated focus since March 2020. Sanitisation of frames in dispensaries and retail settings comes with the need to manage the additional complexity of frame compatibility, as possible degradation is not necessarily immediate,” said Ross Brownlee, Hilco Vision CEO.

While Brownlee said it is nearly impossible to test all types of materials or combinations that exist on a frame board, the results indicate hypochlorous acid, thymol and citric acid-based cleaning agents as suitable options for a practice’s green cleaning protocol due to their high level of compatibility in soak tests.

“While material compatibility is a complex topic, more information gives everyone greater confidence in their selections of cleaning and sanitisation solutions for optical. The active ingredients that performed well here are found in many different EPA and FDA products which makes them good candidates to complement other practice health strategies,” said John Lakey, Hilco Vision global head of marketing.