Cost effective color coding of cleaning equipment

Hello, I have recently been working towards getting my food processing plant SQF certified and have begun color coding our cleaning equipment. The company we have been buying from has been rather expensive and although we have gotten all the essential stuff we are still missing some items that would be extremely helpful in our sanitation processes (we do have them, they just are not color coded and I am not comfortable with this). The price tag on these items if we were to buy them from the same company are at a high cost and I am having a hard time getting upper management on board to drop more money. I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on a cheaper route. Would it be okay to just spray paint handles or something with a non chipping paint or is this still too risky? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

As long as the paint won't chip and the handles are still cleanable that's totally fine. I've also used super adhesive colorful tape to indicate sanitation coding on handles.

I needed a shovel that can withstand some heat, and I'm trying to get away from all the soft plastic handles my facility loves to buy.  I put up a picture of an all stainless shovel (Head to Toe nothing but stainless), made mention of it in my Food Safety Plan, and hung up a picture on the line stating that all the green things AND this one all stainless steel shovel are food contact equipment, auditor made mention that he liked the method of identifying, even though there was no indication on the shovel itself.  Maybe something similar can be done for your equipment, where you get the ones management wants, and then you litter the facility with pictures and explanations that make it clear the equipment is for cleaning only?