What is Nano Silver Technology?
There is one question that we’ve each needed to ponder over the course of this strange year: what is the best way to combat the spread of germs? We arm ourselves with a facemask, making sure it’s secured over our nose and mouth prior to our grocery store run. Some keep their homes stocked with antibacterial soap and their pockets lined with hand sanitizer, ready to kill germs on the go. More still will keep an arsenal of disinfectant sprays and wipes lining their cabinets, spending the day mentally tracking the comings and goings of the house occupants. We each have a tactic that works well for us, but could we be doing more? Well, incorporating new nano silver technology into your home may be the new weapon you need to win the war against germs and bacteria.
History of Silver
Silver has long been recognized for its antibacterial and antifungal properties. Silver is able to kill bacteria and fungus in three different ways. Firstly, silver ions can form pores and puncture the cell wall. Secondly, the ions can enter the bacteria cell wall, inhibiting cellular respiration, and disrupting metabolic pathways. Finally, once in the bacteria cell, silver can disrupt the DNA and replication cycle.
The recognition of these antibacterial properties goes all the way back to Ancient Rome where the wealthy would eat their food with silver forks, knives, and spoons because the antibacterial properties in the silver would hinder spoiled food from making them sick. Historians have also speculated that this is how we came to call utensils ‘silverware’. The use of silver for its antibacterial effects was also recorded by the Han Dynasty who used silver vessels and plates in 1500 B.C.E.
As time progressed, its use in the medical field began to increase. In the 1960s, silver was used to treat burns in the form of a 0.5% silver nitrate solution and silver sulfadiazine cream. Silver-coated bandages and wound dressings are a common use that still lingers in the medical field today. Silver has even been used on breathing tubes and in the dental field with dental amalgam fillings.
What is Nano Silver?
Through the science of nanotechnology, nano silver is created by reducing silver to nano-sized particles which are approximately one and one-hundredth nanometer (or a billionth of a meter). To put that into perspective, a human hair is roughly 40,000 to 120,000 nanometers wide. The nature of the particles allows them to be added to products in a much less detectable form, but with the same ability to suffocate bacteria and fungal cells.
What are the benefits of Nano Silver?
Due to the antibacterial properties, nano silver has frequently been popping up in the building blocks of various products like socks, toothbrushes, baby bottles, tools, and even vacuum cleaners. Providing a nano silver coating for these products allows them to remain bacteria-free without the need to frequently clean them. So whereas a normal doorknob would naturally accumulate bacteria through frequent touching and use, one coated in nano silver would remain up to 99% bacteria-free without the need for cleaning.
But this isn’t the only benefit of using nano silver. Although the main use is to prevent bacteria, products such as socks that have a nano silver coating can have a more limited smell as the nano silver coating will help neutralize the bacteria that cause smelly feet.
Where can I find it?
Having products that can help suffocate bacteria on their surfaces sounds both intriguing and enticing amidst a global pandemic, but how can you get your hands on them? Jokari recently released a line of nano silver products that are designed to both suffocate bacteria and also be functional. For example, they’ve created pouches to store both your mask and your phone throughout the day. Since the products are designed with nano silver technology, storing these items within the pouches will help suffocate any bacteria lingering on their surface. This is especially useful given that these two items accumulate a significant amount of bacteria throughout the day.
Jokari has also designed a shopping cart handle cover that can be easily velcroed over the handle of any shopping cart. This nano silver cover provides an extra layer of resistance against germs and it also comes with a built-in pouch that you can use to store your phone, keys, wallet, or grocery list as you make your way around the store.
