10 replies to this topic

[Simon]

Nail brushes attached on chains at handwash sinks. What is the best way to disinfect them? I was thinking of some sort of dish filled with disinfectant the burshes could stand in.

Any ideas or product solutions?

Thanks,
Simon

[Cranberry]

Nail brushes? Yuk.

Did some reading into the issue while I was doing my PhD as we had a bit of cross over between food hygiene, medical hygiene and various pathogens. The same issues come up again and again when discussing nail brushes:

-When sampled they always throw up gram -ve bacilli (so that’s your Enterobacteriaceae, Vibrio, Campylobacter and Pseudomonas etc)
-Single use is best
-If you must have repeat use then only for heavily soiled hands and used in frequently as over use can damage skin and lead to infection
-Disinfection. Storing in a sanitising solution is adequate. Ecolab used to sell brushes with sanitiser dishes but I have been unable to locate them on their incomprehensible website. Might be worth speaking to whoever provides your hygiene products/waste disposal etc?

[GMO]

The best way to disinfect them? Don't have them.

It's interesting that the things meant to clean are often the source of contamination. For example, boot washes (listeria), nail brushes (coliforms etc as PP mentioned), floor scrubbers (listeria), vacuum cleaners (pests)...

Sometimes people have cleaning equipment because they think it makes things better rather than looking at validation or proof. Always look at the validation then decide what you need.

[Charles.C]

Dear Simon,

The chain is a nice touch. At first i thought you were referring to a prison.

Some suggested recipes / procedures / results here from a well-known advocate -

 Snyder - nailbrush-sanitizer-effectiveness.pdf   87.88KB   31 downloads

Rgds / Charles.C

[Simon]

That settles it, the best solution get rid of them. In actually fact those sinks are no meant for getting filth of hands and nails it is a barrier hand wash sink so hands should be clean anyway.

Thanks all.

Simon

[Cranberry]

Not used to people taking my advice!

For the best Simon, nail brushes are dirty things

[MRios]

I also have the idea that brushes are a dirty thing. Apparently our local Agricultural Agency doesn´t, and wants us to use them. One of the main reasons I never even brought the subject of nail brushes up was that it meant there would be one more thing that needed cleaning, and one more thing to supervise. Like Cranberry said, using them frequently causes harm to your cuticles, which can later become infected. Imagine what a joy it would be to have to move half of your packing staff to other jobs while their hands heal, and replace them with people that don´t have as much experience.

Now, where do I find the studies that say that these brushes usually turn up Gram negative bacilli, or is there any study that mentions the damage that frequent use causes on hands?

[SQFconsultant]

Nail brushes attached on chains at handwash sinks. What is the best way to disinfect them? I was thinking of some sort of dish filled with disinfectant the burshes could stand in.

Any ideas or product solutions?

Thanks,
Simon

Last time I saw a nail brush it was about four years ago, big thing on a metal chain, dirty and sitting on a plastic container of what looked like some sort of filth and water mixture that was bubbling too. Disgusting, dirty things. With that said I have also seen single use disposable nail brushes in a couple of places. The only problem is that they sometimes get re-used. Better yet, don't have them at all.

[Simon]

I took the advice and removed the dirty little things, and you know what we've never missed them. Like an old pair of shoes.

Regards,
Simon

[shekharsharma]

very nice info

[Harish R]

I was also thinking on the same line. Thanks for the info