Paint: 36clicks/iStock; bacteria: Jezperklauzen/iStock
Lots of suggestions have been floated to prevent, or kill, E. coli, staph, and other nasty (and potentially deadly) bacterial infections. But who would have thunk that paint could do the trick?
Sherwin-Williams, that’s who! On Wednesday, the company announced Paint Shield, the “first EPA-registered paint that purportedly kills greater than 99.9% of Staph (Staphylococcus aureus), MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), E. coli (Escherichia coli), VRE (Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis), and Enterobacter aerogenes.” How long does such extermination magic take to activate? Two hours after you apply it, the company claims.
How does it work? The paint includes ingredients called “quats,” or quaternary ammonium compounds, whose “positive charge helps it adhere to the microorganism while dissolving its cell walls,” according to Quats.org (of course). While quats have been around for a long time, “this is the first time that that active ingredient has been able to be suspended in the paint,” said Steve Revnew, senior vice president of product innovation at Sherwin-Williams.
Revnew notes that the product has been tested by a third party, using EPA-approved methodology, to validate its claims.
Homeowners won’t be limited to hospital greens or yellows. The paint—which will be available in early 2016—will come in 520 colors and be sold at 4,000 stores that carry Sherwin-Williams paint.
The paint can be applied like any standard latex product. Less standard is the price: $84.99 a gallon, a fee that the paint titan says reflects the years of R&D, and partnering with infectious-disease specialists and microbiologists, to get the formula right.
Too steep? The paint’s not the only home product that can, apparently, zap a dangerous infection. You can also buy bacteria-killing light bulbs.
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