Rinsing your BCD with antibacterial flush?

[mattia_v]

I don't and won't be flushing my BCD with anything more than fresh water after diving (thorough) and an occasional wash (i.e. Detergent / shampoo) and the end of a trip and letting it dry fully.

Disinfectants have little to no place in the home, in my opinion. Simply washing and cleaning surfaces with soap and water addresses contaminant levels adequately, as it removes the food the bacteria need to grow. It's always a required first step. The concentrations of disinfectants required for a good clean are high, and sufficient full contact is required for fairly extended periods. Pretty much all effective disinfectants are highly corrosive (read the SDS for Sinple Green, for example; no skin contact, no eye contact, no inhalation) and suited for hard, non-porous surfaces (HDPE for example). Polyurethane is not 100% resistant to chemicals used in disinfectants. Like others have noted, a dried bladder that's been rinsed out and allowed to d y is not a great place for microbial growth.

A good disinfection will require full contact between a high concentration of disinfectants and the object for 5-10 minutes or longer. A quick disinfectant rinse is more likely to do harm than good by killing off spores and bacteria, selecting out resistant strains. It's one reason our government is considering banning or more strictly regulating disinfectants from household products - it provides a false sense of security, there is no evidence of benefit, and there are indications of potential harm.

I'll stick with water and soap. The only hand sanitizer I use is at work (hospital), when traveling without access to water and soap. Not at home.

 

[uncfnp]

@mattia_v I simply can not agree with your approach but its an individual decision so we can all choose the procedure that works for each of us.

I think that selective use of disinfectants in the home is important. There is a reason that hospitals require disinfectant cleaning. Simple soap and water, while a good start to physically remove contaminates, will not kill microbes. In fact, if the cloth is not disinfected between surfaces, there is a high probability of transferring microbes from one area to another. So for kitchens and baths I do want disinfectants.

As for disinfectants in general, yes, almost all will have exposure safety precautions. At full strength many are harmful with prolonged contact to skin. Bleach is a good example. But at diluted amounts it is not an issue. Bleach baths are actually recommended for some skin conditions, such as difficulf to control eczema. Dettol, another option commonly recommended on SB is actually sold as an antiseptic.

Steramine is an odororless, non-irritating, non-corrosive, agent. Recommended contact time is one minute and it doesn't require a rinse. It is a sanitizer commonly use in the food industry. It is cheap and easy to use. It's a good choice for dive gear, as are many of the options mentioned by others in this thread, but my concern specific to bcd bladders are fungus and their spore. I am not certain of its effectiveness as a fungicide. Is this concern overkill, almost certainly.

To me, a few mimutes of prevention to avoid days of antibiotis or illness is worth it. Unlike disinfectants, I do agree that antibiotics use should be avoid. If selective use of disinfectants will prevent the need for an antibiotic I am more then willing to spend the time and money.

 

[Patoux01]

There is a reason that hospitals require disinfectant cleaning. .

For instance the fact that usually people in a hospital are in a weakened state and therefore should not approach most things that are harmless to people in good health?


There's no days of antibiotics or illness involved in not rinsing a BCD, that's a myth (I would even call it a lie).

 

[uncfnp]

For instance the fact that usually people in a hospital are in a weakened state and therefore should not approach most things that are harmless to people in good health?

No, its because they are germ factories. Even healthy individuals are at risk in a contaminated environment.

I am curious, why are you so passionate against my choice to clean my gear?

 

[Patoux01]

I guess we live in a different world. Here around I see doctors wash their hands before handling wounds, so that they will not contaminate them. Or do they do that to protect themselves? I don't know, I can't figure how adding some dirt to a guy's wound would affect the doctor's health.

 

[The Chairman]

Or do they do that to protect themselves?

In the USA, doctors also wear gloves and other types of protection to avoid being infected by contaminated bodily fluids and blood born pathogens in addition to the usual scrub. I don't use their protocols when dealing with my gear. I do use Steramine, but only on my rebreather.

 

[Professor Nemo]

For what it's worth, I always rinse my bcd out with warm water, then bcd shampoo, and then with water again several times until water tastes fresh. I blow it up fully and let it dry. This seems to work for me.

 

[uncfnp]

I guess we live in a different world. Here around I see doctors wash their hands before handling wounds, so that they will not contaminate them. Or do they do that to protect themselves? I don't know, I can't figure how adding some dirt to a guy's wound would affect the doctor's health.

In the USA, doctors also wear gloves and other types of protection to avoid being infected by contaminated bodily fluids and blood born pathogens in addition to the usual scrub. I don't use their protocols when dealing with my gear. I do use Steramine, but only on my rebreather.

We also wash our hands before and after each patient encounter and after removing gloves, if they were needed for possible blood or body fluid exposure. This is to protect us, you and the person we see after you.

We also have hand gel outside the door and inside each room to substitute for wash when appropriate. Patients are enourage to use it too.

 

[KeithG]

This thread seems to have advocates on both sides. Just curious: How many people think about disinfecting their toothbrush?

Is it Necessary to Sanitize Your Toothbrush?

 

[Lorenzoid]

This thread seems to have advocates on both sides. Just curious: How many people think about disinfecting their toothbrush?

Is it Necessary to Sanitize Your Toothbrush?

I have always seen the distinction between a BC bladder and something like a toothbrush as being that the BC bladder is difficult to dry completely. It's a moist environment. The toothbrush isn't conducive to bacterial growth because it dries completely between uses.