• MSNBC/AP, Friday, March 7, 2008 11:45 AM

The manufacturer of Barbicide--the blue disinfectant used by barbers for generations--is launching a line of germ-killing wipes for use in used in hotels, spas, restaurants, schools and jails.

The launch of wipes marks the first remake of Barbicide since its creation in 1947 by a high-school science teacher in New York. The new owners of King Research, which makes Barbicide, hope the public's fear of germs will give the product new life when the wipes start shipping this month.

The number of disinfectant products and their sales are exploding. According to research firm Mintel International, there were 1,610 anti-bacterial products--soaps, household cleaners and health care products--in 2006, up from 200 three years earlier. Sales of just hand sanitizers in the U.S. in 2005 were $67 million, up from $44 million in 2004, the most recent years available.

Read the whole story at MSNBC/AP »