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Advice on dry cleaning strategies

26 March 2024

Klipspringer offers advice on dry cleaning strategies, looking as basic principles and the equipment that may be required.

Implementing and maintaining an effective cleaning policy has to be one of the most important things that a food production organisation has to do. Any policy needs to reflect the specific needs of the site, factoring in the materials being handled, the space available to working in, and the risk levels associated with the ingredients.

One additional consideration will be whether the site relies on a wet or dry cleaning process. If the hygiene team carries out a dry clean, it is important to think carefully about the cleaning equipment needed, the approach to validation, and the best way to engage site staff.

Basic principles 
Dry cleaning is a cleaning process that involves no water or moisture. Instead, air lines and dry equipment are used to prepare an area for production. Working from the top down, hygiene teams will agitate then remove any dirt or debris.

Unsurprisingly, sites that handle dry ingredients and produce dry products tend to be the sites that carry out dry cleans. Wet cleaning flour, for example would not only pose a huge food safety risk, but would also have a significant impact on the taste, texture, and consistency of finished products.

Dry cleans are typically used for low risk environments, however, every site is different and will have a unique process in place. Take a chocolate biscuit factory – its hygiene operatives are likely to carry out a dry clean because of the low risk status of biscuits. However, the use of chocolate increases the level of risk and will have to be factored into the cleaning process.

Many such sites will carry out a dry clean, but with the addition of a small number of wet products such as a damp cleaning cloths or food-safe disinfectant wipes. Although both these items are technically moist, many sites would still consider this a dry clean. 

Sites that carry out dry cleans will have designated washdown areas in a separate part of the building. This is where cleaning utensils and production equipment will be taken so that stubborn residues can be power-washed away. However, built-in, heavy, or electrical machines such as mixers, cutting machines, and dicers will need to be cleaned in situ and this requires a selection of specialist equipment – suited to the specific demands of an effective dry clean.

Without relying on powerful water hoses and strong cleaning chemicals, the hygiene team will challenges to overcome when carrying out an effective dry clean, but for every problem, there is a product to provide a solution – from a 7mm bottle brush that can reach inside tight spaces through to a stiff-bristled sweeper that will agitate the dirt on the factory floor. Finding the right equipment will help raise standards, while also making life easier for hygiene operatives.

Without the correct equipment, it will be impossible for the hygiene team to do their job, so suitable utensils need to be available to allow cleaning to take place even in  hard-to-reach areas. Whether  underneath a production belt or behind the back of a machine, durable yet flexible equipment that is the correct size and angled to fit the relevant space is key. Before making any decisions, why not consult the hygiene team to find out what tasks are slowing them down.

Validating cleans
The process for validating a dry clean is the same as the process for validating a wet clean. Even so, this can be another pain point, with a lot of teams relying on visual checks rather than accurate testing. This poses a serious risk to audit compliance. A good solution is A3 monitoring. A step-up from traditional ATP tests, an A3 meter can detect adenosine molecules in all three forms – ATP, ADP, and AMP. Unlike an ATP test it eliminates the risk of false negative readings and detects organic residue even after common factory processes such as blanching, heating, and even cleaning.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is a molecule found in all living cells which is why it is often used to determine the overall hygiene levels of a surface and the overall efficiency of a clean. A positive ATP test shows that organic residue is still present on a surface, but it is a common misconception that a negative ATP test proves the inverse. In fact, even with a negative result, adenosine molecules could still be present. A reading of 0 on an ATP meter could also mean a swab has been exposed to high concentration of chemical detergent. Another explanation is that there is a problem with the enzyme in the swab or the swab itself is faulty. An incorrect swabbing procedure can also generate false negative results.

In contrast, A3 meters and swabs have been designed in a way that means they will always produce a reading (normally between 1-8), even if it is extremely low. A reading of 0 on an A3 meter will indicate a potential fault that requires further investigation.


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