How to clean a sand pit

If you have children, you must know how much they love playing in the sandpit. I am always amazed at how much time my kids spend in their sand pit. Whenever we go to a playground, I'm always concerned by what I might find in the sandpit. 


The sand pit I have at home I keep covered when not in use but that doesn't stop it from getting dirty. My sandpit has been home to bits of food and even once a nappy leaked. My sand pit is small so I immediately replaced the sand. Even on a small sandpit this can be rather expensive particularly if it happens often. 


In playgrounds where the sandpits are not covered dirt can be a real problem. Besides the usual twigs and leaves that will fall from trees, sometimes a sandpit can be exposed to animal droppings and heaven only knows what. One can always remove the solid wastes that you can see but this doesn't mean that germs and bacteria are not left behind. Your sandpit can also become infested with all sorts of bugs especially if it gets wet.


Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a sandpit cleaner. Please visit www.blendwell.co.za for more information on the huge range of cleaning chemicals that Blendwell Chemicals manufactures. The Blendwell Chemicals factory is in Halfway House, South Africa.  

What standards are there for HACCP chemicals?

Blendwell Chemicals in Midrand, South Africa manufacture a huge range of cleaning chemicals. One of the ranges of cleaning chemicals is a range of HACCP compliant cleaning products. We call this range our H-range.

These cleaning products have been specifically designed to for the food industry. There are two categories of cleaning products for the food industry and they are cleaners and disinfectants. These products can be certified by the SABS. Cleaning chemicals can carry the SABS 1828 and disinfectants can carry the SABS 1853.

Many cleaning products in our H-range carry either one of these marks of quality for your reassurance that the safety of your food factory will not be contaminated or compromised by the cleaning products you choose.

For more information on our h-range please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products.

Our factory is ISO9001 approved. You can find us in Halfway House, South Africa. We are your local cleaning chemical manufacturer! 

What are the control measures for chemical hazards?

In a food factory or kitchen it is really important have procedures or control measures in place to minimise any chemicals from becoming hazards.

This can be done by only purchasing packaging from reputable suppliers. These suppliers will need to prove that their packaging is safe for use in the food industry.

When cleaning chemicals have entered the premises of a food factory or kitchen it is vital to keep the cleaning chemicals separate from any food areas – this will include food storage areas. Cleaning chemicals must never be stored in unmarked containers. Food must never be stored in old cleaning chemical containers.

The cleaning chemicals to be used in a food factory should be approved for use in the food industry. All staff members should be properly trained for how to use the cleaning chemicals so that correct dilutions and applications are followed.  This will include proper rinsing after cleaning is completed to ensure that no residues are left to potentially contaminate food. Care must always be taken to protect food from any cleaning or pest control procedures.

Blendwell Chemicals manufactures many cleaning chemicals including HACCP compliant cleaning products from their factory in Halfway House, South Africa. For more information on their food industry cleaning chemicals please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals is your local cleaning chemical manufacturer!

What are the sources of chemical hazards in a food factory?

Contamination from chemicals can happen in a food factory when proper procedures are not followed. During the preparation of food be aware that fumes could contaminate the food.

Making sure that packaging does not contaminate food is an important step. Additives like colourants and preservatives can also taint food. Fruit and vegetables may have also been exposed to pesticides and care must be taken to be sure that this does no harm.

Cleaning chemicals can also create a problem of contaminating food if items are not properly rinsed or if care is not taken when diluting cleaning products. This is easily overcome when staff are properly trained and supervised. Cleaning chemicals that are eco-friendly may be a better option. Green cleaning products are safer for staff to use as well as being kinder on the environment.

Blendwell Chemicals is a cleaning chemical manufacturer based in Midrand, South Africa. Please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products for more information on HACCP compliant cleaning chemicals. We are your local cleaning chemical supplier!

How to keep clean when handling food

The 10 commandments of handling food

When handling food it is important for all individual who are in the food factory to follow the 10 commandments of personal hygiene.

Firstly, hair must be covered with a mop cap that does not allow any hair to be exposed to minimise risk of loose hairs falling into the food that is being prepared in the food factory. Staff must not touch their face or ears when working with food. Individuals must also keep their noses out of the food.

All staff should ensure that they have a fresh mouth and that they do not handle any food when sick.

Proper protective clothing must be worn. This clothing must always be worn and should be well-maintained and cleaned thoroughly. It should be regularly inspected.

Staff working in a food factory must always work with care. There should be no jewellery worn in the kitchen as germs and bacteria can hide in all jewellery. Nobody should be allowed to eat or smoke in food preparation areas. There should be designated areas for these activities.

Finally staff should be trained to clean hands on a very regular basis and should be properly trained in hand cleaning procedures.

For more information on HACCP compliant cleaning chemicals manufactured by Blendwell Chemicals please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals has a factory in Halfway House, South Africa. We are your local cleaning chemicals supplier!

What are control measures?

Kitchens and food factories need to have control measures to ensure that hazards are not able to become a problem in these environments. Controlling and limiting contaminations is vital. There are several things that can be done as control measures.

To only use approved suppliers will ensure that there is a good quality of ingredients coming into the factory. These ingredients should only come from a HACCP compliant factory.

The staff should be effectively instructed, trained and supervised. All staff should be trained in HACCP so that everyone is clear on the necessity of carry out duties in a way that cannot compromise HACCP objectives. All staff should also be trained in ensuring that their own levels of personal hygiene are also very high.

It is vital that pest infestations are prevented and there is great care taken to ensure that waste is disposed of effectively and can cause no future problems.

To keep everything clean it helps if the premises is well-designed and that all equipment is properly planned and well maintained. All points of contact for food must be properly cleaned and disinfected. In a premises with a good layout, raw food and ready-to-eat foods will never come into contact with one another.

For more information on cleaning products to be used in a food factory or kitchen please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a large range of HACCP compliant cleaning chemicals a t their factory in Midrand, South Africa. We are your local cleaning chemical manufacturer! 

What is a hazard?

A hazard can be described as anything with the potential to cause harm.

Hazards can be broken down into different categories. Physical hazards would be things that can be found in food that can cause harm when eating such as cuts in the mouth, broken teeth, internal injury and burning. These can be caused by broken glass, nails, bolts, string and even jewellery.

Hazards can also be chemical. This would include problems with food that when eaten can cause food poisoning and chronic illnesses. This can be caused by food not being cleaned and prepared properly and being exposed to pesticides, cleaning chemicals, weed killers, additives and poisonous foods.

Some people are allergic to particular ingredients and foods and can go into anaphylactic shock or have a negative immune response. The foods that are most likely to cause an allergic response in people who are allergic are peanuts, milk, eggs, shellfish, gluten, soy and sesame seeds. Foods must be properly labelled as some individuals can have an allergic reaction even if the food they eat does not contain a specific allergen but simply come into close contact with it.

Another very serious type of hazard would be the microbiological hazard and this can give rise to the spread of food-borne illnesses such as E Coli.

For more information on cleaning products used in the food industry that are HACCP compliant please visit www.blendwell.co.za/Food_Industry_Cleaning_Products. Blendwell Chemicals manufactures a large range of cleaning chemicals at their factory in Midrand, South Africa. We are your local cleaning chemical manufacturer!