The Cleaning Chemical Conundrum

One of the main issues with cleaning chemicals is safe use and the golden rules of COSHH. Buried within COSHH are some of the nitty gritty points that can get overlooked.

It’s a conundrum all right, but one that can be easily solved.

Certification

This is something that we all know a bit more about after the last fifteen months, but do we know enough? Crucially, what is the difference between antiviral and antibacterial?

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Cleaning chemicals certified to EN14476 are antiviral and can claim effectiveness against COVID-19 and other viruses including Poliovirus, Norovirus, Influenza A and Adenovirus . Cleaning chemicals certified to EN1276 are antibacterial and prevent the growth and spread of harmful bacteria.

However, certification isn’t everything…

Contact times, wiping method, suitability of product to surface and dosage all factor in helping you get closer to the levels of 'infection controlled cleaning' now needed by many, not just the health and hospitality sectors.

Contact times

To be certain an area is cleaned to the required standard, the correct contact time must be observed. As contact times vary dramatically from product to product, the essential thing is to check the instructions together with dilution rates and if / how these affect contact times.

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Wiping the product off before it's recommended contact time is an obvious safety risk (and waste) but there are other variables to consider.

Are you using the right product for the surface you’re cleaning? Is the method you’re using to wipe the product rendering it ineffective?

Wiping

Many of us are still using a trigger spay bottle to apply the chemical and a paper towel to wipe it off. The level of single use plastic waste and paper waste this creates is for another day, but suffice to say it’s unnecessary.

Back to wiping. If you’re using a dry paper towel and the product hasn’t had chance to work, it obviously won’t work. When there are so many other variables with contact times, is that a risk worth taking?

The recommended method of wiping is to soak a damp cloth (not paper) in the chemical, wipe the surface down and leave to air dry.

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So, you now have the correct certification, contact time and wiping method. All good. But, what about dosage, dilution and suitability (right product for right surface above!).

Dosage, dilution and suitability

These points can be managed relatively easy with a cleaning chemical dosing system that makes incorrect dosage and use almost impossible.

As an added bonus, super contrate dosing systems are proven to reduce chemical usage by up to 50% and reduce plastic waste by up to 90%.

Unpicking the conundrum

Cleaning chemicals will always be a bit of a conundrum, but it can be unpicked with knowledge, training and the right product.

If you’re serious about achieving 'infection controlled cleaning' then we can help with all three.

As a first step, why not have a free trial with our chemial dosing system sample pack?