Developed by the British Institute of Cleaning Science is a universal colour code for cleaning recommended for use when cleaning your business or organisation.
They recommend a colour-coded cleaning is a system where basic colours: red, blue, green, and yellow, are restricted to certain locations. This helps reduce the spread of germs as well as increasing hygiene throughout your business or oganisation.
For example using a single mop to clean every floor in a restaurant, can spread bacteria from the washrooms and toilets to kitchen and also food preparation areas. This carries a risk of cross contamination and therefore illness. Applying a colour coded system to set apart sensitive areas from one-another is the most efficient and effective way of reducing the risk of cross contamination.
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Red is assigned to bathroom areas, toilets, cubicle walls, and floors. As these are regarded to have a high-risk of bacterial contamination. By only using red-coded cleaning products such as cloths, mops, buckets, and gloves when cleaning them, the possibility of spreading bacteria outside of these areas is reduced.
Yellow is for clinical areas in healthcare facilities such as Care Homes and Hospitals, however outside of healthcare facilities it is often used for cleaning other washroom surfaces, like sinks, mirrors, cubicles, tiled walls, etc. The benefits of having both red and yellow codes for bathrooms ensures that the same cleaning products are not used on toilet seats or urinals as on sinks and taps. Helping to further reduce the spread of bacteria.
Green is for food and drink preparation areas, such as kitchens and bars. Food preparation areas pose a high risk of cross-contamination particularly from uncooked meat and fish. Therefore it’s crucial to control the use of cleaning products in these areas.
Blue is for lower-risk areas, such as seating areas and hallways, as well as for general dusting or polishing. As there is a lesser risk of bacterial contamination in these areas compared to other areas, blue coded cleaning products can be used across a wider range of surfaces.
White is often used as a site-specific ‘catchall’ for when extra segregation of cleaning supplies is required. For example, it is often used in Healthcare facilities for taps, mirrors, and sinks where hospitality would use yellow. Kitchens may use white as well as green if they require separate cleaning options such as if they have one section for raw meat and another for fresh produce.
