Wet wipe

After fine tuning his new hand-cleaning aid together with a mechanic, he unveiled his invention at the 1960 National Restaurant Show in Chicago and in 1963 started selling Wet-Nap products to Colonel Harland Sanders to be distributed to customers of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

[7] Although marketed primarily for wiping infants' bottoms in diaper changing, it is not uncommon for consumers to also use the product to clean floors, toilet seats, and other surfaces around the home.

In December 2018, a New Zealand company launched the country's first ever wet and baby wipe alternative, the BDÉT Foam Wash.

[11] Wet wipes are often included as part of a standard sealed cutlery package offered in restaurants or along with airline meals.

Wet wipes began to be marketed as a luxury alternative to toilet paper by 2005 by companies such as Kimberly-Clark and Procter & Gamble.

[citation needed] Cleansing pads are fiber sponges which have been previously soaked with water, alcohol and other active ingredients for a specific intended use.

Since the outbreak of H1N1 sales of individual impregnated wet wipes and gels in sachets and flowpacks have dramatically increased in the UK following the Government's advice to keep hands and surfaces clean to prevent the spread of germs.

They have the ability to clean a vast range of though substances from hands, tools and surfaces, including: grime, grease, oil- and water-based paints and coatings, adhesives, silicone and acrylic sealants, poly foam, epoxy, oil, tar and more.

Wet wipes are produced specifically for pet care, for example eye, ear, or dental cleansing pads (with boric acid, potassium chloride, zinc sulfate, sodium borate) for dogs, cats, horses, and birds.

[21][22] In addition, some brands of wipes contain alcohol, which can kill bacteria and denature enzymes responsible for breaking down solid waste in septic tanks.

The lawsuit alleged the retailer misled consumers by marking the packaging on its Up & Up brand wipes as flushable and safe for sewer and septic systems.

[27] In 2015, the city of Wyoming, Minnesota, launched a class action suit against six companies, including Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, and Nice-Pak, alleging they were fraudulently promoting their products as "flushable".

[29] Upon announcement of the withdrawal of the suit, an industry trade group representing the manufacturers of the wipes released a statement that disputed the claims that the products are harmful to sewer systems.

An individually-wrapped wet wipe
Wet wipes on a shelf
A wet wipe dispenser