Wet-soap decon removes up to what percentage of contaminants on PPE?

• A. 75%
• B. 85%
• C. 95%
• D. 100%

Answer: (B)

Wet-soap decon evaluates how effectively a soap-and-scrub cleaning step can remove contaminants from PPE. The idea is that the soap helps emulsify residues and the scrubbing physically lifts them off, but not all material can be completely removed because some contaminants cling to fibers or get embedded in porous surfaces. In standard practice, this method typically achieves about eighty-five percent removal, which reflects the upper limit of what wet decon alone can routinely accomplish. Values like seventy-five percent would understate performance, while ninety-five or one hundred percent would imply near-total removal that isn’t realistically attainable with this single step. So the best estimate for what wet-soap decon removes is eighty-five percent. If more thorough decontamination is needed, additional steps would be employed.