Concentration: It's No Game

MAINTAINING PROPER SANITIZER CONCENTRATION IS CRITICAL

While it's universally understood that the use of sanitizer is an essential element of a successful hygiene program, what's far less widely understood is the proper way to prepare sanitizer for maximum effectiveness. When you mix commercial-grade sanitizer, the dilution must be correct for it to have optimum germ-killing power. Mixtures that are too strong are wasteful, because they fail to provide a greater level of protection than mixtures at the recommended dilution. And mixtures that are too weak will not offer the level of sanitation that a commercial environment requires. What follows is a list of the most frequent mistakes made in the preparation of sanitizing solution:

Using incorrect test strips
Make sure that the strip you're using is the right one for the sanitizer in question. There are two primary types of sanitizers in common use today: chlorine-based and ammonia-based, and failure to use the correct strip for your solution can produce incorrect readings.

Improper preparation
Sanitizer dilution is measured in parts per million, so the line between correct and incorrect dilution can be remarkably fine. Preparing batches in large volumes makes correcting over- or under-strength solutions much easier than adjusting the contents of smaller containers, especially spray bottles and one-gallon buckets. Also note that it is often more difficult to get accurate readings from smaller containers because natural fluctuations can produce erroneous results.

Testing hot sanitizer
The nature of chemical reactions is such that readings taken on a solution that is warmer than 75°F will show a stronger concentration than what is actually present. To get a more accurate reading without waiting for the entire batch to cool, take a small sample from the larger batch - when the sample cools, you can test it to gauge the entire batch's true strength.

Testing suds
Because suds are mostly air, testing the sudsy portion of a solution will produce an incorrect reading. In fact, simply contacting suds can distort your result, so either wait for suds to settle on their own or push them aside to test the liquid portion only.

Agitating the test strip
Generally, the test strip should be dipped and removed or dipped and held still in the solution to produce an accurate reading. Swirling or otherwise agitating the strip may give an incorrect - typically higher - measurement of concentration.

Not testing for the proper length of time
Depending on your particular test strips, you may be instructed to remove them immediately after being submerged in the solution, or you may be required to hold them still in the solution for a specific length of time. Failure to follow these instructions will likely produce incorrect results.