EFHSS Questions and Answers - Question Q00121

Is there any difference between solutions (detergents/enzymatics) sold for use by catering/industry and those for use in sterile services departments? If so, what are the differences?

Bob B

Bob B,

Detergents used in Catering industries are very often products which contain chlorine and can be very harmfull for your instruments.

Better is to follow your manufacturer's prescriptions for application in order not to dammage your materials.

Herwig M.

Detergents for dishwashers used by catering/ industry are usually strong-alcaline synthesized and have got an oxidant in order to remove food and/or beverage leftovers from dishes. It concerns mainly the removal of starch as well as coffee- and tea leftovers.

Detergents used for reprocessing of surgical instruments in washer disinfectors are mild-alcaline or pH-neutrally synthesized and usually there are no oxidants in them.

The efficiency of industrial detergents used for reprocessing of surgical instruments is focused on removing of protein left-overs and other OP-residues, including OP-residues, which were in touch with skin disinfectants, mucous membrane- and/or other disinfectants in order to remove blood or iodine mixture from instruments.

Further on, these detergents should be of a high range of material protective quality in order to protect- apart from stainless steel- also sensitive materials, such as nickel-plated or chromium.-plated brass instruments, or aluminium surfaces and optics, adhesives and surfaces made of plastics.

We would like to recommend You to visit the Internet home page of the Working Group Reprocessing of Instruments (AKI) in Germany under the following address:

• http://www.a-k-i.org

for further details.

Chemische Fabrik Dr. Weigert GmbH & Co. KG
Application department neodisher

Dr. Jürgen Staffeldt