A practical guide to professional cleaning chemicals
Professional cleaning chemicals are bought as concentrates and diluted on site, which is what makes them cheaper, lighter and less wasteful than ready-to-use products. This guide explains how to choose between the Virkon formats, how the prespray-and-rinse method works on carpet, which products are safe on wool, and when to use interim cleaning instead of a deep clean.
Method
Six rules that cover most cleaning chemical decisions
Get the format, the order of operations, the fibre and the moisture right and most cleaning problems disappear before they start.
1. Choose the format, not just the product
Virkon is the same chemistry in several formats. Tablets suit one spray bottle at a time and travel well. Sachets are pre-measured for spill kits and small sites. Powder pails are the cheapest per litre of solution for regular use. Liquid LSP suits dosing pumps and pressure washers. Pick the format that matches how your staff actually mix.
2. Clean before you disinfect
Disinfectant does not work properly on a soiled surface, because organic matter shields what you are trying to kill. On visibly dirty surfaces, clean first with a detergent, then apply disinfectant at the stated dilution and leave it for its full contact time before wiping or drying.
3. On carpet, prespray then rinse
For anything beyond light soil, spray an alkaline prespray, let it dwell, agitate if needed, then extract with an acidic rinse. The prespray breaks the soil down and the rinse removes it and returns the fibre to neutral pH. Cleaning with detergent through the machine alone leaves residue, and residue is why carpet resoils fast.
4. Match the chemistry to the fibre
Wool and wool blends need wool-safe, lower-pH products such as Liquid WoolSafe or Fibresafe Gold, with Fibre & Fabric Rinse and a neutral spotter. Synthetic commercial carpet tolerates stronger chemistry, including high-alkaline restoration products. Water-sensitive fabrics need a solvent cleaner instead of a water-based one.
5. Control moisture and foam
Over-wetting causes shrinkage, watermarking, slow drying and browning. Use low-moisture methods on upholstery, and add defoamer to the recovery tank when cleaning over previously shampooed carpet — foam kills suction and can reach the vacuum motor.
6. Protect the work you have just done
A fabric protector such as Fabric Seal or Fluoroseal CF makes spills bead so they can be blotted before staining, and slows resoiling in traffic lanes. On hard floors the equivalent is seal and polish, maintained by burnishing rather than stripped and redone.
Which Virkon
Choosing the right Virkon for your setting
All Virkon products share the same peroxygen chemistry; the difference is the market they are presented for and the format they come in.
Virkon S
Farm, veterinary and animal housing biosecurity. Powder in 1kg, 5kg and 10kg, plus 50g sachets and 5g tablets for small volumes.
Rely+On Virkon
Human health settings — clinics, laboratories, treatment rooms, first aid areas and body-fluid spills. Powder, sachets and tablets.
Virkon Professional
Professional cleaning of offices, gyms, schools, washrooms and public buildings. Tablets that mix on the cleaning trolley.
Virkon Aquatic
Hatcheries, fish farms and aquatic facilities — nets, tanks, grading equipment, footwear and transport. Powder and tablets.
Virkon LSP
Liquid concentrate in 5L and 20L for dosing equipment, pressure washers and high-volume application.
Rely+On PeraSafe
Cold liquid sterilisation for heat-sensitive instruments and endoscopes that cannot be autoclaved.
Safety
Using cleaning chemicals safely
Every product we supply comes with a safety data sheet, and the label dilution is the instruction that matters most.
- Follow the label dilution — stronger is not better and often leaves residue.
- Never mix products together unless the label says you can.
- Decant into correctly labelled bottles, never into an unmarked or food container.
- Wear the gloves and eye protection the safety data sheet specifies.
- Test spotters and solvent cleaners on an inconspicuous area first.
- Store concentrates in a locked, dry chemical store away from food.
- Keep safety data sheets accessible for your COSHH assessments.
- Mix oxygen boosters and cold sterilants fresh — they lose strength once made up.
FAQs
Cleaning and chemical questions, answered
- What is the difference between Virkon S, Rely+On Virkon and Virkon Professional?
- They share the same peroxygen chemistry but are presented for different markets. Virkon S is the farm, veterinary and animal housing product. Rely+On Virkon is presented for human health settings such as clinics, laboratories and first aid areas. Virkon Professional is aimed at professional cleaning teams in offices, gyms, schools and public buildings. Virkon Aquatic is the aquaculture version, and Virkon LSP is the liquid concentrate.
- Why buy disinfectant as powder or tablets instead of ready-to-use bottles?
- Because you stop paying to store and ship water. A tub of tablets or a pail of powder makes hundreds of litres of working solution, takes up a fraction of the shelf space and lets staff mix fresh solution at the right strength. Ready-to-use sprays are convenient but cost far more per litre and generate much more plastic waste.
- Do I need both a prespray and an extraction rinse?
- For anything beyond light soiling, yes. A prespray is alkaline and does the work of breaking down oily traffic soil while it dwells; the extraction rinse is acidic and removes the suspended soil while returning the fibre to a neutral pH. Cleaning with detergent through the machine alone leaves more residue behind, which is why carpet cleaned that way often resoils within weeks.
- Which Prochem products are safe on wool carpet?
- Use the wool-safe options: Liquid WoolSafe and Fibresafe Gold for cleaning, Fibre & Fabric Rinse as the rinse, and Neutral Pro Spotter for spotting. Avoid high-alkaline products such as Ultrapac Renovate on wool. If a wool carpet browns as it dries, Browning Prescription is the corrective treatment.
- What is encapsulation cleaning and when should I use it?
- Encapsulation products such as Procaps and Crystal Green surround soil in a crystal as they dry, which is then removed by normal vacuuming. Drying takes minutes rather than hours, so it suits offices, retail and hotels that cannot be closed. Deep hot water extraction is still the right choice for periodic restorative cleaning.
- Can I use these products in a school, care home or food environment?
- Yes, with the right selection. The Prochem Natural range is intended for sites that specify lower-impact plant-derived chemistry, such as schools, nurseries and care homes. For sanitising, Clensan and Microsan cover hard surfaces and touch points. Always follow the label dilution and the product safety data sheet for the setting.
- Do you supply safety data sheets and dilution guidance?
- Yes. Safety data sheets and technical guidance are available for every line we supply, and we send them with your first order of a product. If you need documentation for a tender, audit or COSHH assessment, ask and we will supply the current sheets for the products on your account.
- How do I get trade prices on cleaning chemicals?
- Apply for a Lanson Group trade account. Product information on this site is public, but trade pricing, pack and case options and ordering are for approved account holders. Applications are reviewed and, once approved, you can order the Virkon, Prochem and Day-Impex ranges on one account and one delivery.
Need help choosing a dilution or a format?
Tell us what you are cleaning, how often and with what equipment, and we will put together a short list with the right pack sizes, plus the safety data sheets you need for your COSHH file.
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