Frequently Asked Questions
What does "antimicrobial" mean?
Antimicrobial is defined as an agent that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth. Antimicrobial agents, such as SmartSilver are used against bacteria and fungi to inhibit their growth.
What are the benefits of protecting your socks and travel mat against the growth of bacteria and fungi?
When the reproduction of bacteria and fungi is inhibited in these articles, they cannot be a source of microbes. Microbes simply are not transmitted.
Why does the military put nano-silver in the soldiers socks?
“Nano-silver socks/undergarments will remain hygienic for days in war scenario, where it is impossible to change undergarments”, reports A. Tiwari in the "Military Nanotechnology" article for the August 2012 issue of International Journal of Engineering & Advanced Technology. SmartSilver is one of the main sources of the nano-silver in military socks. And according to N. Seltenrich in the July 2013 article for Environmental Health Perspectives: “Nano-silver also plays a preventive role in special socks, shoes, and bandages developed for diabetics to prevent foot, ankle, and leg ulcers from progressing; in socks for military troops working in less-than-sanitary conditions to prevent trench foot, athlete’s foot, and other fungal infections; and in common athletic clothing to slow the spread of MRSA and other bacterial infections associated with close-contact sports.”
How do I know it is working?
For your socks, its easy. They won’t smell, even if they are not laundered for a while. For your Travel Mat, the effectiveness of the SmartSilver is harder to discern, but you can expect the antimicrobial properties to be working silently and odorlessly all the same.
Do I have to wash the travel mat after each trip or the socks after each wearing?
No. The nano-silver destroys the bacteria and fungus, so none of these cells inhabit the travel mat or socks. Only wash them when they are soiled.
How long does the SmartSilver protection last?
SmartSilver will last as long as the product. It has been tested to be effective for over 50 washings. The silver particles do not wash out. SmartSilver becomes integrated at the molecular level into fibers of our products.
How does it work?
When products infused with SmartSilver come into contact with moisture, they release very low levels of silver ions that prevent the growth of microbes, including those that cause odor and infection. Silver ions interact with the critical bacterial components needed for respiration, reproduction and the cell wall, which is how the microbe protects itself. Bacteria use enzymes in order to metabolize nutrients and create energy. Silver ions disrupt these bacterial enzymes and stop their energy metabolism and nutrient transport, essentially suffocating the bacteria. Silver ions also slow the processes required for the bacteria to replicate. Furthermore, silver binds with components of the bacterial cell wall, the layers of which provide protection and structure to the cell. The ions create structural imperfections within these layers, resulting in the collapse or burst of the bacteria.
How effective is silver as an antimicrobial agent?
Silver has been shown to be effective against microbes for millennia (See “The Technology”). It has a wide range of health related uses because of its efficacy and safety. It prevents infections in infants’ eyes (neonatal eye drops) and helps to promote healing in burn patients limiting the risk of infection (silver sulfadiazine). It is used in cutting boards and tabletops to protect against food contamination and by the military to inhibit microbial growth in our soldiers’ clothing.
Are your products Eco-Friendly?
Absolutely! SmartSilver is registered with the EPA and has been proven not to enter the environment.
Might bacteria develop resistance to SmartSilver as with antibiotics?
Microbes would not develop resistance to SmartSilver because silver ions disrupt three different pathways within the microbe: respiration, replication, and the cell wall.
Antibiotics pretty much target only one of these. Silver has been used for its antimicrobial properties for thousands of years without evidence of microbial resistance. And antimicrobial silver has been used extensively in hospitals for decades with no clinically relevant cases of antibiotic resistance.
Is it safe?
Yes. Tested in and around humans for over two thousand years, silver has proven safe. Furthermore, the US EPA has registered SmartSilver for uses that include all of the ArgentPro products.
How do I launder ArgentPro socks?
Taking care of ArgentPro socks is easy. Turn the socks inside out before washing in warm water. Do not bleach or use fabric softener. Tumble dry with low heat or air dry.
How do I launder ArgentPro Travel Mats?
Wash in cold water. Do not bleach or use fabric softener. For best results, dry flat. The linen in the Travel Mat is preshrunk, so no worries about a low temperature dryer. If needed, use a cool iron.
How did you get the idea for these antimicrobial travel products?
Friends at NanoHorizons gave us some prototype SmartSilver-infused socks a few years ago to try. We loved them! They were perfect for their comfort, style and odor free properties. AND we realized that they would be perfect for travel given that bacteria and fungus filled public travel spaces, even hotel rooms.
Since no one manufactured antimicrobial dress socks that are ideal for traveling, we decided to do it ourselves.
Digging deeper into travel science, we were shocked to learn how germ filled airplane tray tables are. Our high quality SmartSilver infused Travel Mat seemed the solution. All with the feel of first class.
Antimicrobial is defined as an agent that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth. Antimicrobial agents, such as SmartSilver are used against bacteria and fungi to inhibit their growth.
What are the benefits of protecting your socks and travel mat against the growth of bacteria and fungi?
When the reproduction of bacteria and fungi is inhibited in these articles, they cannot be a source of microbes. Microbes simply are not transmitted.
Why does the military put nano-silver in the soldiers socks?
“Nano-silver socks/undergarments will remain hygienic for days in war scenario, where it is impossible to change undergarments”, reports A. Tiwari in the "Military Nanotechnology" article for the August 2012 issue of International Journal of Engineering & Advanced Technology. SmartSilver is one of the main sources of the nano-silver in military socks. And according to N. Seltenrich in the July 2013 article for Environmental Health Perspectives: “Nano-silver also plays a preventive role in special socks, shoes, and bandages developed for diabetics to prevent foot, ankle, and leg ulcers from progressing; in socks for military troops working in less-than-sanitary conditions to prevent trench foot, athlete’s foot, and other fungal infections; and in common athletic clothing to slow the spread of MRSA and other bacterial infections associated with close-contact sports.”
How do I know it is working?
For your socks, its easy. They won’t smell, even if they are not laundered for a while. For your Travel Mat, the effectiveness of the SmartSilver is harder to discern, but you can expect the antimicrobial properties to be working silently and odorlessly all the same.
Do I have to wash the travel mat after each trip or the socks after each wearing?
No. The nano-silver destroys the bacteria and fungus, so none of these cells inhabit the travel mat or socks. Only wash them when they are soiled.
How long does the SmartSilver protection last?
SmartSilver will last as long as the product. It has been tested to be effective for over 50 washings. The silver particles do not wash out. SmartSilver becomes integrated at the molecular level into fibers of our products.
How does it work?
When products infused with SmartSilver come into contact with moisture, they release very low levels of silver ions that prevent the growth of microbes, including those that cause odor and infection. Silver ions interact with the critical bacterial components needed for respiration, reproduction and the cell wall, which is how the microbe protects itself. Bacteria use enzymes in order to metabolize nutrients and create energy. Silver ions disrupt these bacterial enzymes and stop their energy metabolism and nutrient transport, essentially suffocating the bacteria. Silver ions also slow the processes required for the bacteria to replicate. Furthermore, silver binds with components of the bacterial cell wall, the layers of which provide protection and structure to the cell. The ions create structural imperfections within these layers, resulting in the collapse or burst of the bacteria.
How effective is silver as an antimicrobial agent?
Silver has been shown to be effective against microbes for millennia (See “The Technology”). It has a wide range of health related uses because of its efficacy and safety. It prevents infections in infants’ eyes (neonatal eye drops) and helps to promote healing in burn patients limiting the risk of infection (silver sulfadiazine). It is used in cutting boards and tabletops to protect against food contamination and by the military to inhibit microbial growth in our soldiers’ clothing.
Are your products Eco-Friendly?
Absolutely! SmartSilver is registered with the EPA and has been proven not to enter the environment.
Might bacteria develop resistance to SmartSilver as with antibiotics?
Microbes would not develop resistance to SmartSilver because silver ions disrupt three different pathways within the microbe: respiration, replication, and the cell wall.
Antibiotics pretty much target only one of these. Silver has been used for its antimicrobial properties for thousands of years without evidence of microbial resistance. And antimicrobial silver has been used extensively in hospitals for decades with no clinically relevant cases of antibiotic resistance.
Is it safe?
Yes. Tested in and around humans for over two thousand years, silver has proven safe. Furthermore, the US EPA has registered SmartSilver for uses that include all of the ArgentPro products.
How do I launder ArgentPro socks?
Taking care of ArgentPro socks is easy. Turn the socks inside out before washing in warm water. Do not bleach or use fabric softener. Tumble dry with low heat or air dry.
How do I launder ArgentPro Travel Mats?
Wash in cold water. Do not bleach or use fabric softener. For best results, dry flat. The linen in the Travel Mat is preshrunk, so no worries about a low temperature dryer. If needed, use a cool iron.
How did you get the idea for these antimicrobial travel products?
Friends at NanoHorizons gave us some prototype SmartSilver-infused socks a few years ago to try. We loved them! They were perfect for their comfort, style and odor free properties. AND we realized that they would be perfect for travel given that bacteria and fungus filled public travel spaces, even hotel rooms.
Since no one manufactured antimicrobial dress socks that are ideal for traveling, we decided to do it ourselves.
Digging deeper into travel science, we were shocked to learn how germ filled airplane tray tables are. Our high quality SmartSilver infused Travel Mat seemed the solution. All with the feel of first class.
