Benefect (4L)

Description

Hospital grade disinfectant made from botanically pure plant extracts, with no synthetic fragrances, dyes or bleach. The active ingredient is thymol at 0.23%, from thyme oil.

It kills over 99.99% of bacteria and is approved by Health Canada and the US EPA for use on hard, non-porous surfaces. For a tattoo station that means your chair, armrests, work surfaces, lamp handles and machine housing.

Suitable for hospitals and health care facilities, massage and exam tables, nursing homes, veterinary offices, day cares, restaurants and bars, kitchens, gyms, spas, schools and kennels. Not approved for use in medical nurseries.

Features

• Active ingredient: thymol 0.23%, from thyme oil
• Ready to use, no mixing
• No rinse or wipe required
• 10 minute contact time
• Manufactured in Ontario, Canada
• Label expiry: 2 years from manufacture. Health Canada caps expiry dates on all DIN labels at 2 years. Benefect has tested the product up to 5 years after manufacture with no loss of efficacy.
• Store airtight at room temperature

What it kills

Per the registered label:

• Bacteria: MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Mycobacteria: Mycobacterium bovis (TB)
• Fungi: Trichophyton mentagrophytes, the athlete's foot fungus
• Virus: HIV-1

How to use it

1. Pre-clean. Clear the surface, then wipe away blood, plasma, ink and ointment residue. Organic matter shields germs and neutralises disinfectant, so a surface that isn't clean can't be disinfected. Benefect's HIV claim applies to pre-cleaned surfaces only.
2. Protect yourself while cleaning up blood. The label calls for disposable gloves, plus a gown, mask or eye covering where there's a splash risk.
3. Disinfect. Spray the surface and leave it visibly wet for 10 minutes at room temperature. Let it air dry. No rinsing or wiping.

Same bottle does both steps. Spray and wipe to clean, spray again and leave it for 10 minutes to disinfect.

That 10 minutes is the part people skip. A quick wipe-down doesn't disinfect, with this product or any other.

Benefect is a disinfectant, not a sterilant. Its label states it cannot be used as a terminal sterilant on instruments, though it can be used to pre-clean or decontaminate instruments before sterilization. Sterilization itself requires an autoclave.

Benefits

• No synthetic fragrances, dyes, bleach, ammonia or oxidizers
• Not classified as hazardous by Health Canada, the EPA or under WHMIS
• EPA Toxicity Category IV for all routes of exposure, the lowest category assigned
• Contains no chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm

Low toxicity isn't the same as no risk, and we'd rather give you the ratings than tell you it's harmless.

Why we carry it

Most hospital grade disinfectants are built on synthetic chemistry, and tattooers spend a career breathing whatever they spray. We wanted an option with a lower exposure profile that still meets hospital grade standards, and Benefect is the one that does.

The plant extracts are sourced from small, largely family run farms, and the product is manufactured in Canada.

Certifications and documents

• Ecologo CCD-166, environmentally certified: readily biodegradable at 85% in 28 days under OECD 301D, and not toxic to aquatic life
• Health Canada DIN 02242474 (Government of Canada listing)
• EPA Reg. No. 84683-1-74771
• FDA GRAS and Food Additives List
• CFIA S432
• WHMIS exempt
• Product data sheet (PDF)
• Printable workplace label for your spray bottle (PDF)