The California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (BHFTI) Chief Karen Hatchel approved an alternative method of sanitizing used/secondhand or renovated bedding products which, according to Hatchel, is to better meet consumer protection needs.
Effective Jan. 1, 1998, BHFTI allows the use of the spray chemical disinfectant Steri-fab as an additional, approved method for the disinfection of mattresses, with any type of ticking or plastic covering, and box springs.
According to John McCormack, BHFTI technical coordinator for research and development, the new method provides an option to - not a substitute for -the common dry-heat method of sanitization in California. California law required that used/secondhand or renovated bedding be dry-heated in ovens, a sanitization process which takes two or three hours for each mattress, limiting the volume of used bedding that can be disinfected in a day.
Unlike the dry-heat method, the chemical disinfectant permits a tracing method to enforce compliance with the state's sanitization laws. Steri-fab contains a fluorescent crystal suspension which, when exposed to ultra-violet light, can be seen, thus permitting inspectors to determine whether products have been properly disinfected.
With the alternative method the Bureau hopes that the less-than-honest renovators and businesses dealing in used/secondhand bedding will actually start sanitizing their products, rather than saying they had used the dry-heat process when in fact they had never done so.
"We see a lot of non-compliance," said Hatchel, " and we are constantly moving to stronger compliance [with state regulations]. The tracer chemical gives us greater tools to aggressively enforce the laws."
Hatchel explained that the Bureau does spot inspections and looks to make sure that the Bureau's strict guidelines for the use of Steri-fab are followed.
When asked whether the chemical disinfectant would actually encourage more renovators to enter the market, Hatchel and McCormack felt the opposite is true. They see the chemical disinfectant as a benefit to legitimate operations, such as furniture rental businesses, dealing with used bedding. "This [chemical disinfectant] opens up the market for legitimate companies that previously could not afford, or even find, ovens to disinfect used bedding," noted McCormack.
"The ovens are prohibitive," Hatchel explained. "Not only are they expensive, but they affect volume. Also, with the tracer chemical we are better able to enforce the laws and protect the consumer."