EPA Releases Final Guidance and Methods to Control Public Health Pathogens on Soft Surface Textiles

Released on August 29, 2023

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final guidance and methods for evaluating efficacy claims of antimicrobial products registered to reduce bacteria and viruses on soft surface textiles (such as non-clothing fabrics and textiles/upholstery that may be laundered on an infrequent [non-routine] basis) in clinical and institutional (non-residential) settings. The final guidance to support soft surface textile claims, the soft surface textile bacterial method, and the soft surface textile virus method supersede the interim guidance and methods, which EPA published on December 21, 2022. The Agency has also published its response to comments received on the interim guidance and methods.

Currently, most EPA-registered liquid-based antimicrobial products are registered for use on hard, non-porous surfaces (e.g., stainless steel, glazed porcelain, glass). This guidance describes how soft surface textile disinfectant claims may be added to products that demonstrate efficacy on hard, non-porous surfaces in non-residential use-sites such as waiting rooms, hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, daycares, hotels, office buildings, and retail establishments.

In the revised methods, EPA provides recommended standardized quantitative efficacy test methods for both bacteria and viruses for registrants wishing to add disinfectant claims for soft surface textiles pursuant to this guidance. This guidance and associated test methods address only products with both soft surface textile disinfectant claims and hard, non-porous surface disinfectant claims for clinical and institutional settings (i.e., products that have only soft surface textile claims are not within the scope of this guidance).

The final test methods, guidance, and response to comments document are available at docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2022-0337 at regulations.gov. The final test methods and guidance are also available on EPA's Microbiology Laboratory Antimicrobial Testing Methods and Procedures webpage and EPA’s Efficacy Requirements for Antimicrobial Pesticides webpage.