Fighting germs the green way

I'm a little skeptical about the trend towards adding more and more anti-microbials to our living spaces. And so is the Centers for Disease Control! It's become a marketing point to be able to add "Fights Germs!" to the product label.

Still, Duraban seems to be trying to have its microbe-killing cake and eat it too. The company is pushing its new line of products (a Laundry Rinse, a Fabric Spray, a Surface Spray, and a Disinfectant Spray) as not only germ-unfriendly, but earth-friendly too. The product is applied to fabric or hard surfaces -- and it sticks. Megan Parker, a company spokeperson, culled these talking points from the product Web site for me:

Since the antimicrobial is permanently bound to the surfaces it protects, it does not leach from the fabric to the skin or into the environment.

DuraBan does NOT contain any heavy metals. Tin, arsenic, silver and copper are often used in other antimicrobials.

DuraBan does not volatilize, dissipate, or leach onto other surfaces or into the environment. The chemistry polymerizes where it is applied and forms a permanent bond that typically lasts for the life of the treated surface. Normal cleaning should not remove the treatment; although it can be abraded away.

If fighting germs is your top priority, maybe you can mitigate the disadvantages -- to a degree -- with a greenish product like this.