Procedures for disinfection of cleaning cloths, brushes and squeegees

Hi,

I work in a bakery and our current procedure for disinfecting cleaning cloths, brushes and squeegees is to place them in a diluted chlorine solution where they sit over night to be used the next day.  The cloths are well rinsed before use but often they do smell of chlorine. 

I was wondering what others think to this practice as I am not convinced that it is the best solution.  I am also curious as to what others are doing to clean and disinfect cleaning equipment each day. 

Kind regards

Neil Harris

Have the cleaning cloths and equipment been washed prior to the chlorine bath? Are you testing the concentration of the solution?

Koimme,

We send our used cleaning rags back to the uniform service who provides them for food grade cleaning.  They inspect the rags and discard anything that cannot meet specification due to heavy soiling - typically by the maintenance team.  Specifications for cleaning the rags are the same as they are for the uniforms.  Never had an issue with auditors regarding this practice.  The service was properly vetted and kept up to date in terms of vendor evaluations, service provider GMP training, product specifications, and their cleaned products subjected to validation testing. 

Hi,

Thanks for the responses, we actually dont test the concentration of the solution but a new solution is used each day.  I will look into getting some test strips.  The cloths are rinsed but not washed in a washing machine before being placed in chlorine.  We do replace the cloths when old and soiled. 

So is the general consensus that it is better to have these items laundered by a Professional cleaning Company? 

Thanks

Neil

Hi koimme,

You may find this thread and sub-links (Post 3) of interest -

http://www.ifsqn.com...ply-with-haccp/

And maybe (amongst many others)  -

http://www.ifsqn.com...s-vs-squeegees/

http://www.ifsqn.com...op-floors-with/