Many cleaning professionals visit the International Custodial Advisers Network (ICAN) Ask the Experts page for insight and, every business day, we deliver advice to better help you perform your job.
Monday’s Question:
What is the shelf life of diluted cleaning and disinfecting agents?
Monday’s Answer:
Cleaning agents themselves have a fairly long shelf life, probably a year or better.
Tests have shown quaternary ammonium compounds to have a shelf life of well over one year in their ready-to-use state.
There are some variables such as water hardness and contamination of the product that could be of concern, but in most cases, the solution is used well before it has lost its effectiveness.
Isopropyl alcohol stays good for about two years after date of manufacture, but a diluted solution should be used before 30 days. Exposure to sunlight will reduce effectiveness.
Diluted chlorine bleach will … Lynn E. Krafft, ICAN/ATEX editor
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