What was tested, on which surfaces and under what conditions? How must the treatment be applied, and what cleaning will still be needed afterwards? Looking beyond the headline duration helps facilities and operations teams make a decision that fits their premises rather than a claim in isolation.

A long-lasting claim is a starting point, not a cleaning plan

Workplace surfaces do not all face the same demands. A door handle in a busy entrance may be touched throughout the day, while a meeting-room surface may see less use but frequent spills. Dirt, grease and other contamination also affect what cleaners encounter in practice. A stated protection period cannot, by itself, tell a business how often those surfaces should be cleaned.

It helps to separate the jobs involved. Routine cleaning removes visible soil and keeps frequently used areas in a usable condition. Disinfection addresses a particular microbiological purpose, subject to the product and its instructions. A longer-lasting treatment may have a place within that programme, but it should be assessed against the surfaces, usage patterns and existing schedule at the site. Buying a treatment is not the same as deciding which daily tasks can safely stop.

Check the product, purpose and instructions

The first procurement check is whether the biocidal product is suitable for the intended use. The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on using biocides advises users to check suitability, read the label and follow its instructions. That is more useful than comparing advertised durations without considering where a treatment can be used or who may apply it.

Ask for the product information before agreeing a specification. Which surfaces are covered, and are any materials excluded? Does the application require preparation, a particular method or a period when people must stay away? What protective equipment or other precautions do the instructions call for? These questions matter whether staff apply a product themselves or a specialist contractor carries out the work.

For a business with several types of premises, one answer may not fit every area. A reception desk, food-handling space and workshop have different uses and cleaning demands. Define the intended surfaces and purpose first, then check the product and proposed application against them. This gives suppliers a clear brief and gives the business a practical basis for comparing offers.

Ask what the evidence actually covers

ICE Cleaning offers its ICE SHIELD decontamination service as a specialist treatment. Its product page describes protection lasting up to 28 days and summarises a test conducted in 2021 with Biodet at the University of Hertfordshire, using door handles as simulated touchpoints over a 28-day period. The duration is a description of the service’s claimed performance, not a guarantee that every treated workplace surface will remain protected for 28 days under everyday use.

That distinction is valuable whenever a supplier presents a persistent-protection claim. A buyer should establish what the evidence measured: the surface material, the organisms tested, the application method, the amount of handling and the conditions during the test. A result from a simulated touchpoint provides context, but a workplace may expose its surfaces to different wear, cleaning products or levels of soiling. The question is how closely the evidence matches the proposed use.

It is also worth distinguishing between a treatment’s claimed residual effect and the condition of a surface at any given moment. A duration statement does not mean new dirt cannot accumulate or that a spill can wait until the next scheduled clean. Procurement teams can ask a supplier to explain the scope of its claim in terms that cleaners and site managers can apply consistently.

Fit treatment around people and operations

A disinfection plan must work while the business is operating, not only on paper. Before treatment, identify who will apply the product, where other people will be during application and when an area can return to normal use. Where the instructions require protective equipment, ventilation or restricted access, those requirements affect staffing and scheduling. A treatment arranged for a busy period may create avoidable disruption if access needs have not been planned.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations require employers to prevent or adequately control exposure to hazardous substances. HSE’s guidance on manual cleaning and disinfecting surfaces sets out practical considerations for carrying out this work safely, including following product instructions and using appropriate controls. The site’s assessment should reflect the actual product, task and people who could be exposed, rather than treating every disinfection job as interchangeable.

Coordination with the regular cleaning team is particularly important. Staff need to know whether a surface must be cleaned before treatment, what can be used on it afterwards and whether normal cleaning methods could affect the intended result. Clear handover instructions help prevent a specialist visit from becoming a separate, poorly understood activity. They also make it easier to deal promptly with spills and visible dirt without guessing how the treatment changes established procedures.

Turn the claim into a proportionate procurement decision

A useful comparison starts with the problem the business is trying to solve. A treatment for a small number of heavily used touchpoints calls for a different specification from one proposed across an entire building. Facilities and procurement teams can record the surfaces in scope, why they have been selected and how those areas are currently cleaned. This keeps the decision tied to a defined operational need.

The questions put to a supplier can then stay focused:

Which surfaces and uses are covered by the proposed treatment and its product instructions?
What evidence supports the duration claim, and how do the test conditions compare with this workplace?
Who will carry out the work, and what preparation, protective measures or access restrictions are required?
What should the regular cleaning team do before and after application?
Who will record completion and review whether the arrangement remains suitable?

The answers should be usable by more than the person approving the purchase. A written scope, application record and straightforward cleaning instructions give site managers something to implement and revisit. They also help a business compare the cost and disruption of a treatment with the practical benefit it expects for the areas selected. A claim can be relevant without being decisive: suitability, evidence and safe delivery all form part of the value proposition.

Keep routine cleaning visible after treatment

Once a treatment has been applied, the business still needs an ordinary cleaning schedule with named responsibilities. Frequently used surfaces will continue to collect marks and spills; washrooms and shared spaces will continue to need attention. The schedule should reflect how the premises are used, the product instructions and the site’s assessment of the work, rather than assuming that a stated protection period suspends routine tasks.

Managers can make the arrangement easier to maintain by giving cleaners concise instructions on treated surfaces and setting a point to review them. Changes in occupancy, surface use or cleaning methods may alter what is appropriate. The strongest procurement decision is therefore not simply the one with the longest advertised duration. It is the one whose evidence, application requirements and continuing cleaning responsibilities make sense together in the workplace where the treatment will be used.

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