Cleaning and hygiene products

Cleaning and hygiene products are tools and supplies for cleaning surfaces, removing liquids from floors, collecting waste and protecting hands. The category includes pre-moistened cleaning wipes, floor squeegees and handles, cleaning brushes, cleaning gloves, refuse sacks and bin bags, and an absorbent for leaking water. The products are used in businesses, property maintenance, cleaning work, on construction sites, in industry and in households.

What the category includes

• Cleaning wipes: pre-moistened disposable wipes for cleaning hands, tools and hard surfaces without water. A wipe with an abrasive surface removes stubborn grease, tar and mud.
• Floor squeegees and handles: squeegees with hard rubber or foam rubber blades for moving water and sludge to a floor drain, plus aluminium and wooden handles.
• Brushes and scrapers: scrubbing brushes, hand brushes, street brooms and a combined cleaning scraper and brush.
• Cleaning gloves: latex household gloves for wet cleaning work.
• Refuse sacks and bin bags: bags on a roll made of LDPE and HDPE film, including drawstring models.
• Leak control: superabsorbent granular absorbent that binds water into a gel.

Selection criteria

• Type of dirt: light dirt and dust come off with a smooth wipe or a soft brush; stubborn grease, tar and mud need an abrasive surface or stiff bristles.
• Squeegee blade: a hard rubber blade moves heavy liquids and coarse sludge, a foam rubber blade follows an uneven floor.
• Handle fitting: the handle diameter must match the socket of the brush or squeegee, usually 20 mm, 22 mm or 24 mm.
• Bristle material: PVC, PET and nylon bristles withstand wet conditions, natural-fibre coir bristles suit dry sweeping.
• Bin bag film: LDPE is flexible and resists tearing, HDPE is stiff and light even as a thinner film. Film thickness is given in microns (µm).
• Glove material: latex is flexible and grips well in wet work; for anyone allergic to latex, choose a latex-free glove.

Frequently asked questions about cleaning and hygiene products

What do cleaning and hygiene products include? Tools for cleaning surfaces, removing liquids, collecting waste and protecting hands: cleaning wipes, floor squeegees, brushes, handles, cleaning gloves, refuse sacks and absorbents. How do you clean hands and tools without water? With a pre-moistened cleaning wipe. The cleaning agent soaked into the wipe loosens grease and dirt, and the abrasive surface makes stubborn dirt easier to remove. Which floor squeegee suits the floor of a hall or a washing bay? A squeegee with a hard rubber blade for heavy liquids and sludge, one with a foam rubber blade for uneven surfaces. A jointed neck reaches under furniture and machinery. Which refuse sack withstands sharp waste better, LDPE or HDPE? LDPE. Flexible LDPE film stretches before it tears, so it copes with sharp-edged waste better than the stiffer HDPE.