The surge in popularity of Decon7 products in the fight against COVID-19 brought with it a host of questions about the D7 disinfectant/decontaminant. We developed a series of questions and sent them to Decon7. The collection of questions and answers below represent their replies.
What is D7?
D7 is a powerful and effective decontaminant, disinfectant, sanitizer, cleaner, and deodorizer for a multitude of applications in various industries from military, first responders, to food and biosecurity.
What is the shelf life of D7?
5 years in the bulk form (e.g. 4-Gallon Kit, 30-Gallon Kit) and 3 years for BDAS+.
How long will the mixture last once mixed?
The easy answer is 8 hours for 100% efficacy. Up to 8 hours is recommended for disinfection, food surface sanitation, and CWA/BWA. Antimicrobial properties, however, are available up to 30 days.
How can the product be used?
Misted, sprayed, foamed, mopped on or used as a bath, soak, or laundry.
Eye protection, respiratory protection, and gloves. A protective suit is optional.
What is meant by "dwell time"?
Dwell time is a similar way of saying contact time and is the preferred phrase of the EPA. It is the amount of time a surface must remain in contact with D7 in order to neutralize the contaminant. For unknown substances, allow a 30 minute dwell time to ensure neutralization.
It depends on the contaminant, but contact times range anywhere from 1 to 30 minutes, with 30 minutes being for the complete destruction of HD blister agent. For specific guidelines, check our approved label claim for organisms and chemical test reports.
For COVID-19, our label claim is based on our norovirus claim, which when we did the test was 10 minutes. However, Sandia and KSU did tests on Bovine Coronavirus with D7 at 25%, 50%, and 100% ratios in 50% soil load, and the contact time was 1-3 minutes.
What kind of sprayer can I use with this product?
Garden sprayer, paint sprayer, any type of liquid sprayer you can get at your local hardware store or garden center. Compressed air foamers, electrostatic sprayers, and foggers work as well. Try to get sprayers with Viton rubber seals if possible. Steel fittings are preferred over brass or aluminum. Wash applicator after every use.
What PPE should be used when spraying or fogging with this product?
Eye protection, respiratory protection, and gloves. A protective suit is optional.
If D7 is safe, why do I need PPE?
D7 can be an irritant. To what degree depends on the individual person’s sensitivity to the ingredients in D7. Since we are unable to determine the end user’s sensitivity and application exposure, we recommend a level of PPE to alleviate any potential irritation.
Do I need to wipe down after?
Undiluted D7 must be removed from any food surface. Wipe or rinse with clean cloth and water.
At a 1 to 5 dilution, D7 does not need to be removed from food surfaces. D7 can leave a residue once it dries. If this happens and the end user doesn’t want the residue, it can be removed via wiping or rinsing with clean cloth and water.
For electronics, sensitive equipment, unfinished brass, unfinished aluminum, 100% all-natural wool, silicon rubber, butyl rubber, Plexiglas, and synthetic plastics, we recommend rinsing or wiping, especially for repeated use or for occasions when these substances become very saturated with D7.
What is the coverage of 1 gallon of D7 mixture
- Spray: 150 square feet
- Foam: 225 square feet
- Fogging: 15,000 cubic feet
What is the coverage of one BDAS+ Sprayer?
20 square feet, which is the average square footage of a person in PPE.
How does the BDAS Sprayer dispense D7?
The BDAS+ uses bag on valve technology, developed by Bissel, to deliver D7. The mylar bags containing D7 are surrounded by nitrogen; when the BDAS+ trigger is squeezed nitrogen pushes on the bags (the nitrogen is not a carrier gas); and the 3 parts of D7 are pushed up the valve into the mixing chamber and out the nozzle.
The BDAS+ has two settings: mist and stream. The mist setting can reach a distance of 3 feet with a diameter of 16 inches. The stream setting can reach a distance of 15 feet. The BDAS+ provides 30-45 seconds of continuous spray.