Clorox Healthcare Announces First Sporicidal Solution for Clorox® Total 360® System

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Clorox Healthcare Spore10 Defense Cleaner Disinfectant is a ready-to-use, low odor bleach that kills C. difficile (C. diff) in five minutes

Clorox Healthcare today announced the first sporicidal solution, Clorox Healthcare Spore Defense Cleaner Disinfectant, available through the Clorox® Total 360® System, an electrostatic sprayer that combines proven electrostatic technology with trusted Clorox® solutions to easily provide superior coverage in even the hardest-to-reach places. Clorox Healthcare Spore Defense Cleaner Disinfectant is a low-fragrance bleach that kills C. diff in five minutes in addition to 42 other pathogens and can be used in sensitive patient settings. In turn, this new product provides healthcare professionals a facility-wide solution by ensuring C. diff spores, among other pathogens, are killed on hard, non-porous surfaces in patient rooms, in operating rooms and on transport equipment often missed during manual cleaning.

Disinfecting surfaces in hospitals is challenging and time-consuming work. Research suggests only 50 percent of surfaces in patient rooms and operating rooms are effectively disinfected.1 Proper disinfection of portable and shared medical equipment is also an important component of infection prevention as this equipment frequently becomes contaminated with healthcare-associated pathogens. In addition, such equipment often has irregular and difficult-to-clean surfaces resulting in suboptimal manual cleaning and disinfection.

In fact, a study conducted by Curtis Donskey, MD, Infectious Disease Specialist, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, found medical equipment was not disinfected after use 90 percent of the time. Sampling also showed that 27.5 percent of mobile equipment had one or more pathogens on them. These results demonstrate that mobile equipment is frequently used, infrequently cleaned and can serve as a vector for dissemination of pathogens.2

“Through this study, it became abundantly clear that healthcare facilities needed an efficient solution to help prevent the transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens from portable medical equipment,” said Lynda Lurie, Director of Marketing, Clorox Professional Products Company. “Clorox Healthcare Spore Defense Cleaner Disinfectant through the Clorox® Total 360® System makes a challenging, but imperative task easier for end-users while also providing complete coverage. Healthcare facilities can finally rest assured knowing they covered the germ hot spots often missed through manual cleaning.”

The Clorox® Total 360® electrostatic sprayer works by charging and atomizing Clorox Healthcare Spore Defense Cleaner Disinfectant, delivering a powerful flow of charged particles that are attracted to surfaces with a force stronger than gravity. This allows the product to reach and uniformly coat hard, non-porous surfaces including hard-to-reach areas that manual cleaning can often miss.

Clorox Healthcare Spore Defense Cleaner Disinfectant has been extensively tested for efficacy, residue and worker protection. This solution was developed to be safe to use through the Clorox® Total 360® System and ensure the combined products effectively enhance surface coverage while reducing the time it takes to treat healthcare surfaces.

Proven Efficacy Against Healthcare Facilities’ Toughest Challenges

Dr. Donskey examined the efficiency of the sporicidal solution against C. diff reduction on healthcare surfaces in the real-world including wheelchairs, portable equipment and waiting rooms. Findings showed the Clorox® Total 360® System with Spore Defense was just as effective as bleach wipes in reducing C. diff spores inoculated on wheelchairs, but could be applied in one-fourth of the time, providing healthcare facilities with a rapid and effective means to reduce spore contamination on surfaces like never before.3

“When it comes to the cleaning and disinfection of shared and portable medical equipment such as wheelchairs and gurneys, thoroughness of cleaning is often suboptimal and application can be challenging and time-consuming, especially when surfaces are irregular,” said Donskey. “This is what makes the development of this sporicidal solution and its ability to be used with electrostatic technology a substantial innovation — it provides a solution for healthcare facilities that wasn’t previously possible.”

With broad surface compatibility, low residue profile, 43 pathogen kill claims and low odor, Clorox Healthcare Spore Defense Cleaner Disinfectant is easily implementable for facility-wide use. Spore Defense also meets the EPA Emerging Viral Pathogen designation for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

To learn more about the Donskey studies, please view the white paper / case study here. To learn more about Clorox Healthcare Spore Defense Cleaner Disinfectant and the Clorox® Total 360® System, please visit CloroxHealthcare.com.

About Clorox Healthcare

The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products.  Building on a century-long legacy in cleaning and disinfecting, Clorox Healthcare products from CloroxPro offer healthcare facilities a wide range of solutions to help prevent and stop the spread of infections and create cleaner, healthier environments. From comprehensive surface disinfection to advanced technologies, Clorox Healthcare is committed to providing efficacious solutions to healthcare facilities across the continuum of care. For more information, visit www.CloroxHealthcare.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact:

Rebecca Appelman, Rebecca.appelman@ketchum.com  


^1. Bhalla A., Pultz N.J., Gries D.M. et al. “Acquisition of Nosocomial Pathogens on Hands After Contact With Environmental Surfaces Near Hospitalized Patients.” Infection Control Hospital Epidemiology. 2004 Feb;25(2): 164–7
2. Donskey, C., Study Update: Cleveland VAMC showcases Clorox Total 360 Spore Defense results at IDWeek 2019. Cloroxpro. Accessed April 3, 2020.
3. Donskey, C., Evaluation of a novel sporicidal spray disinfectant for decontamination of surfaces in healthcare. CloroxPro. Accessed April 3, 2020
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