Six tips for cleaning toilets in schools

When it comes to cleaning in schools we would all like to imagine that our children have pristine toilets to use when they’re at school. I’m sure we all know what a mess our kids can make at home so several hundred kids should make an enormous mess. If the toilets are not hygienic, the kids will get sick more often. It’s vital to keep these areas clean.

Every school should have a cleaning plan:

The toilets should be cleaned at least twice a day and they should be checked after peak periods, like breaks.

Not all toilets should be cleaned at the same time to ensure that there are always facilities available to pupils.

Toilet facilities should remain open throughout the school day.

Toilet facilities should only be closed for temporary cleaning or maintenance purposes.

Ensure that your plan includes a provision for extra spot cleaning as necessary.

At least three times a year there should be deep cleaning taking place and this should coincide with school holidays. Deep cleaning should be administered by a specialist company.

For more information on products you can use for cleaning you toilet facilities please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Kitchen_And_Bathroom_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals is a manufacturer of cleaning products with a factory in Midrand, South Africa. We are your best local wholesaler of cleaning chemicals. 

Free training on Floor Cleaning

Did you know that Blendwell Chemicals offers free training seminars every month?

This month we will be doing a training session on Floor Cleaning. This session will cover all the different types of floors and their specific requirements for cleaning. We will cover traditional cleaning choices as well as HACCP requirements and environmentally friendly cleaning options. It will be held at our offices in Midrand on Wednesday 12 June at 10AM. If you're interested, please call Cynthia on 011-805-9940 to book your space. Only a few spaces are left.

3 things you can do for World Environment Day

5 June is World Environment Day and the theme for 2013 is “Think. Eat. Save.” The focus this year is on avoiding food wastage. Have you done anything to help this campaign?

• There are things we can all do to help. Firstly, only buy the food you need. This will prevent wastage. By buying more than you need you will create a greater demand and the suppliers you buy from will stock more food.
• Secondly, store food correctly. This will help it last longer and you will be able to eat it before it goes off. Make sure your fridge and freezer are working properly.
• Lastly, make sure the surfaces you prepare your food on are clean. Your food may become contaminated if surfaces are dirty and you may need to throw out food.

You can do your bit for World Environment Day every day by avoiding food waste. Please visit www.blendwell.co.za for information on food friendly cleaning products. Happy World Environment Day!

Early closing today!

Blendwell Chemicals will be closed from midday today for stocktake. We will not be able to release any goods or accept any deliveries this afternoon. But we will re-open on Monday morning at 07h30!

What are the 8 control measure for HACCP? Part 1

When you have a HACCP system in your establishment that grows, prepares or packages food, you will need control measures in place to avoid contamination of your food.

• Only use approved suppliers. Suppliers who understand your commitment to HACCP will be able to support your efforts to avoid contamination. Their products should be tested from time to time to ensure quality.
• Well-designed premises and equipment. If you have the right equipment and everything is laid out well, your systems will be easier to work. When things are in their place and your space makes sense, everyone can work more comfortably.
• Prevent pest infestations. A good HACCP system will have many preventative measures. Pests are attracted to all food stuffs and making sure you have adequate pest control is vital.
• Correct cleaning and disinfection. Using HACCP compliant cleaning products in a responsible manner is going to help you to avoid contaminations in your food factory.

Blendwell Chemicals manufactures its own range of HACCP compliant cleaning products. For more information please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals is a manufacturer and wholesaler of cleaning products in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

What are the 4 hazards in a food factory?

In any environment where food is grown, produced, prepared or packaged, the HACCP system should be in place. HACCP is an acronym for the hazard analysis critical control point. This system analyses all contact points and their surroundings to ensure food remains safe.

There are four main types of hazards:

1. Biological and microbiological hazards. These would include all foodborne diseases like E. coli.
2. Physical hazards. These hazards will include things that can cause physical harm to the person eating the food by perhaps cutting their mouth, burning them or breaking their teeth. These things could be glass, nails, even jewellery that accidently falls into the food due to carelessness.
3. Chemical hazards. These hazards will occur when residues of pesticides or cleaning chemicals contaminate the food. Or if the food comes into contact with poisons. This can cause food poisoning and chronic illness.
4. Allergenic hazards. Some people are highly allergic to things like shellfish, peanuts, milk,soy, sesame seeds or gluten. If exposed to these foods they can experience anaphylactic shock. They do not always have to eat one of the foods that they are allergic to but the food could be exposed to the food they are allergic to and becomes contaminated.

You need to know what the hazards are in order to be able to avoid them. HACCP is a fantastic system to use if you handle food. For more information on cleaning products that are HACCP compliant please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures cleaning products for the food industry in Midrand, South Africa.

The 7 principles of HACCP - Part two

For your establishment to follow the rules of HACCP, you can use the seven principles to get you started. Ensuring food safety is vital if you handle any type of food. My previous blog discussed the first three principles here are the rest.

• Principle 4: Establish critical control point monitoring requirements -Monitoring activities are necessary to ensure that the process is under control at each critical control point. Its frequency must be listed in the HACCP plan.
• Principle 5: Establish corrective actions - These are actions to be taken when monitoring indicates a deviation from an established critical limit.
• Principle 6: Establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended - Validation ensures that the plants do what they were designed to do. Verification ensures the HACCP plan is adequate, that is, working as intended. Verification procedures may include such activities as review of HACCP plans, CCP records, critical limits and microbial sampling and analysis.
• Principle 7: Establish record keeping procedures - The HACCP regulation requires that all plants maintain certain documents, including its hazard analysis and written HACCP plan, and records documenting the monitoring of critical control points, critical limits, verification activities, and the handling of processing deviations.

Getting your HACCP procedures right is vital when you handle any type of food product. For more information on HACCP cleaning products that are manufactured by Blendwell Chemicals please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products. Are you using the HACCP system yet? Let us know.