In modern family life, the quest for a healthy living environment is growing, and anti-bacterial curtains are also reaching out to the general public and are being given many magical effects, such as cleaning up the indoor air and protecting many consumers from bacteria. This is, however, an area of error that needs to be corrected urgently.
Antibacterial curtains were born with specific antibacterial agents added to their production materials, most commonly nanosilver ions, organic antibacterial compounds, etc. These antibacterial agents inhibit the growth and reproduction of bacteria by destroying their cytowalls, cellular membranes or by interfering with their metabolic processes, thereby reducing to some extent the bacterial growth on the surface of the curtains. But there is a huge gap between this and the ambitious goal of “purifying indoor air and resisting bacterial intrusion”.
First, from the perspective of air purification, the sources of indoor air pollutants are extensive and complex. The release of hazardous chemical substances such as formaldehyde, benzene, kitchen smoke, human-spewed carbon dioxide, and dust, pollen and car tail gas pollutants from outdoors are constantly affecting indoor air quality. For anti-bacterial curtains, which are merely inhibited against bacteria that they themselves may breed, there is little capacity for adsorption, decomposition or transformation of these air pollutants, and there is no substantive improvement in the overall quality of indoor air.
Secondly, with regard to protection against bacteria from invasion, bacteria are ubiquitous in our living environment, and their transmission is varied. They can enter the room through doors and windows, access to people, ventilation systems, etc. and anti-bacterial curtains cannot provide an effective barrier to these extensive bacterial intrusion routes. Even if the curtains themselves have antibacterial properties and can reduce the survival of their surface bacteria, as long as the bacteria enter the room and are attached to the surface of other objects, such as furniture, floors, clothing, etc., they still have the potential to breed and spread in large numbers, threatening human health.
Besides, anti-bacterial curtains are not anti-bacterial effects once and for all. Over time and in the process of wear, cleaning, etc., antibacterial agents can gradually lose or lose their activity, and their antibacterial capacity decreases. Moreover, there are differences in the sensitivity of different bacteria to the same antibacterial agent, and some more resistant bacteria may not be effectively suppressed by antibacterial curtains, thus continuing to survive and spread on the curtains, significantly undermining the so-called antibacterial function.
In addition, over-reliance on anti-bacterial curtains may lead us to ignore other, more important, indoor sanitation measures. For example, the maintenance of good indoor ventilation, which effectively dilutes and removes indoor harmful gases and bacteria; regular cleaning of home environments, including cleaning of furniture, cleaning of the ground, cleaning of beddings, etc., can directly reduce the growth and accumulation of bacteria; and the rational use of air purification units can also contribute positively to the removal of particulates, some harmful gases and microbes from the air.
We need a proper understanding of the actual effects of anti-bacterial curtains. As part of the home decoration, it can reduce to a certain extent the flavour, color change, etc. of the curtain itself as a result of bacterial breeding, and create a relatively clean environment for the use of the curtains. But it must not be seen as a panacea for the purification of indoor air and against bacteria, but rather as a truly healthy and comfortable living space that combines a variety of scientifically effective methods of indoor health and environmental improvement.
