Washington, July 6 (IANS) Imagine keeping medical linen and clothing, face masks, paper towels and even diapers permanently germ free! New technology can make it happen.

 
 The simple and low cost anti-microbial technology works on natural and synthetic material. It can be applied during the manufacturing process or at home, and it doesn’t get washed away.
 
 Unlike other anti-microbial technologies, repeated applications are not required to maintain effectiveness, reports the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces.
 
 “The spread of pathogens on textiles and plastics is a growing concern, especially in
 healthcare facilities and hotels, which are ideal environments for the proliferation and
 spread of very harmful microorganisms but also in the home,” said Jason Locklin who developed the process.
 
 Locklin is an assistant professor of chemistry at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and on the Faculty of Engineering at Georgia University.
 
 The anti-microbial treatment effectively kills a wide range of bacteria, yeasts and moulds that can cause disease, break down fabrics, create stains and produce odours, according to a Georgia statement.
 
 According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one of
 every 20 hospitalised patients will contract a health-related infection.
 
 Lab coats, scrub suits, uniforms, gowns, gloves and linen are known to harbour the microbes that cause patient infections.