The invention relates to highly effective disinfecting or sterilising cloths with chlorine dioxide as the main active ingredient. For this, the chlorine dioxide is only generated shortly before use by bringing a cloth impregnated with a chlorite or chlorate salt in contact with a clearly defined amount of a suitable activation agent that is fluid or dissolved or admixed in a fluid, and prepackaged as a single dose, for the generation of chlorine dioxide. In a preferred embodiment, the impregnated cloth and the activation fluid are packaged in a common packaging unit and the activation occurs by breaking through a barrier separating the cloth or the cloths and the activation fluid. In a further preferred embodiment, the packaging is a moulded part having two packaging spaces separated from one another by removable barriers, which can be converted into a moulded part with only one chamber via simple pressure in one direction. The activation fluid or the disinfecting cloth can contain further substances, such as the pH-value-controlling substances, surfactants, guanidine derivatives, aldehydes, phenoxyethanols, phosphate esters, alcohols, sulfoxides, etc. Preferably, the disinfecting cloth according to the invention is used for disinfecting and/or sterilising medical instruments and/or medical products and/or surfaces.