The active components used in SteriTouch products are all based on ionic silver. Silver differs from most biocides in that it operates by several mechanisms or 'modes of action': interacting with sulfhydryl protein groups; inhibiting cell wall synthesis; disabling the cell's proton pump; unwinding the cell DNA; interrupting vital hydrogen bonding processes. The variety of mechanisms employed by ionic silver means that for a bacteria to become resistant it would need to undergo several simultaneous mutations within a single generation in order to escape the effects of the silver.

The difficulty with which organisms are able to resist ionic silver makes it a useful tool in areas where resistance to organic biocides may be a problem. An excellent example is the use of silver antimicrobials in floor coatings. Bacteria in floor cracks are exposed to sub-lethal doses of cleaning chemicals, encouraging the development of resistance. Ordinarily, cleaning chemicals are cycled on a regular basis in order to reduce the problem, but studies in the US have demonstrated that incorporating a silver additive into the flooring material ensures that even those bacteria which develop resistance to the cleaning chemicals will be killed by the antimicrobial silver.