The invention relates to wound care devices having a topically applied silver-based antimicrobial finish. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a wound care device having a substrate selected from the group consisting of fibers, fabrics, and alginates, at least a portion of said substrate being coated with a non-electrically conductive finish, wherein said finish comprises at least one silver ion-releasing compound and at least one binding agent, and wherein said silver ion-releasing compound is present in an amount that is at least 35% more than the amount of said binding agent.
