Most antimicrobial wipes, which are predominantly made of synthetic fibers like polyester and polypropylene, are discarded after a single use and end up in landfills, where they can stay for hundreds of years and become a source of environmental microplastic fiber pollution. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) recently developed sustainable, machine-washable antimicrobial wipes that can be used at least 30 times for cleaning hard and nonporous surfaces.
There has been a remarkable increase in the use of antimicrobial wipes due to the growing awareness of personal health protection. According to the Antimicrobial Wipes Market Outlook report, the worldwide antimicrobial wipes market is estimated to reach $21.6 billion by 2030.