Systematic review of surface disinfection: Spraying versus wiping for COVID-19 prevention.

Background: Within countries, community spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) propagated the infection despite the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of disinfecting surfaces and materials in the community by spraying compared with wiping (mechanical cleaning) or nothing for SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention.

Setting: This research was conducted in a global context.

Method: We searched six databases for eligible studies from 01 January 2020 to 06 September 2022. Spraying disinfectants was the intervention, while wiping or nothing was the comparison. Review outcomes include SARS-CoV-2 infection, the incidence of adverse effects and operator satisfaction. The review was registered on Prospero: CRD42022356276.

Results: We found no studies that compared spraying with wiping or had human participants. Three studies with indirect evidence, published between 2021 and 2022 in Japan, South Korea and Spain, were included. Dry fog spraying of 8 700 parts per million (ppm) of hypochlorous acid solution or 56 400 ppm of hydrogen peroxide solution reduced the infectious viral titre. Wiping with 1000 ppm of sodium hypochlorite for 1 min completely reduces SARS-CoV-2 viruses on stainless steel. Also, wiping with 500 ppm of bleach for 5 min completely reduces the virus on kraft paper and polypropylene. No viruses were detected on any surface after wiping with 1000 ppm of bleach for 5 min.

Conclusion: This review provides basic scientific evidence that either spraying disinfectants as dry fog or wiping has some disinfectant effects on surfaces and materials.

Contribution: Although the review included no human studies, both methods of disinfection can be practiced in the community for SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention.