Hibiwash Antimicrobial Skin Cleanser 500ml - 4% Chlorhexidine Solution for Skin Hygiene and Infection Control

Hibiwash Antimicrobial Skin Cleanser – 500ml

Hibiwash is Mölnlycke’s chlorhexidine gluconate skin cleanser, and it is the same preparation the yard has always known as Hibiscrub — Mölnlycke have renamed the brand, not reformulated it. It is a scrub rather than a soap: worked into wet skin it lifts dirt and grease while the chlorhexidine does the antimicrobial work, and it keeps working for a while after rinsing.

Mölnlycke’s own indication is human: pre-operative surgical hand disinfection, antiseptic hand washing on the ward, and pre-operative and post-operative skin antisepsis. It is very widely kept in tack rooms and kennels and used on animals on veterinary advice, but that is off-label use and the 500ml bottle should be treated accordingly. The 5 litre container is the one for a yard getting through volume.

Performance & Benefits

• Chlorhexidine gluconate cleanser, effective against a broad range of bacteria and yeasts.
• Detergent base, so it lifts grease and debris rather than simply disinfecting a dirty surface.
• Residual activity — chlorhexidine persists on skin after rinsing, which is why it is used before surgery.
• A 500ml bottle is the practical size for a house first aid box or a single horse’s kit.
• The familiar Hibiscrub preparation under Mölnlycke’s current brand name.
• Dilutes readily in warm water where a diluted wash is what has been advised.

Suitable For

• Pre-operative surgical hand disinfection and antiseptic hand washing, which is Mölnlycke’s stated indication.
• Pre-operative and post-operative skin antisepsis in people undergoing elective surgery.
• A first aid kit, a tack room or a kennel, where it is commonly kept.
• Use on an animal only where a vet has advised it, and at the dilution the vet specifies.
• Not a shampoo and not a routine grooming wash — for everyday coat washing, a shampoo formulated for the species is the right product.

How to Use

• Follow the instructions for use supplied with the bottle; Mölnlycke direct users to the IFU rather than publishing a method online.
• Where a diluted wash has been advised, dilute in warm water to the strength specified rather than applying neat.
• Wet the area, work the cleanser in, leave it in contact for the time advised, then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
• Rinse until the water runs clear; residue left on skin is what causes most of the dryness people report.
• Cap the bottle and store it upright, out of reach of children.

Specification

• Chlorhexidine gluconate antimicrobial skin cleanser. 500ml bottle.
• Made by Mölnlycke Health Care. Hibiwash is the current name for the product previously sold as Hibiscrub.
• Mölnlycke do not state the chlorhexidine gluconate concentration on their published product page. The 4% w/v figure quoted on retail listings, including this one’s title, comes from the pack label rather than from Mölnlycke’s website.
• Mölnlycke publish no pack size list online beyond showing a 5 litre container; the 500ml bottle is the retail size.
• Mölnlycke publish no veterinary indication for this product.

Care & Caution

• For external use only. Do not swallow it and do not use it on broken skin except on professional advice.
• Keep it out of the eyes and out of the ear canal — chlorhexidine can damage both.
• Do not use it on an animal without veterinary advice, and never at full strength on an animal’s skin.
• Stop if the skin reddens, dries or irritates, and seek medical or veterinary advice.
• Keep out of reach of children, and do not decant it into an unlabelled bottle.