Disinfectants Don’t Expire — They Stop Being Disinfectants

Article written by: Muzi Sithole

When Does a “Disinfectant” Stop Being a Disinfectant?

A SHEQ perspective for the cleaning industry

A product is a disinfectant only while it reliably kills the microbes it claims to kill. Once it is past its validated shelf life or otherwise degraded, it should no longer be classified or used as a disinfectant. It is imperative that it is treated as what it functionally is at that point (usually just a cleaner or detergent).

Why This Matters

In food, healthcare and industrial hygiene, we often buy “two-in-one” products

(detergent-disinfectants). During shelf life, they both clean and disinfect. After the

disinfectant component loses potency, you are left with a product that may still clean but no longer disinfects. Continuing to call or use it as a disinfectant risks non-compliance and false assurance of hygiene.

The Science in Plain Language

Different actives lose strength at different rates due to factors such as oxidation, hydrolysis, evaporation, light and temperature. Chlorine, hypochlorite, hypochlorous acid, hydrogen peroxide, alcohols, and quaternary ammonium compounds all degrade over time. Once the active ingredient concentration falls below validated limits, the product may still be a cleaner, but it is no longer a disinfectant.

Label Compliance and Legal Reality

Labels are legal documents. Using a product beyond its expiry or outside specified storage invalidates the claim. In South Africa, disinfectants and detergent-disinfectants for the food industry are regulated by the NRCS, any product under SANS 1853 has to comply. These standards require clear product identification, batch control, efficacy testing and expiry management.

A Definition to Train By

A disinfectant is any product that, under its labelled conditions and within its shelf life,

achieves the stated microbial kill. Outside those conditions, it is not a disinfectant and

should not be treated as one. It normally just remains a detergent or cleaner unless

revalidated.

Practical Controls to Build Into Your SHEQ System

o Record batch numbers and expiry dates at receiving; apply FIFO and FEFO.

o Follow label storage conditions (light, temperature, container type).

o For diluted or activated products, verify concentration before use.

o Train cleaners that expired disinfectants are cleaners, not disinfectants.

o When nearing expiry, raise an NCR or CAPA to replace stock proactively.

o Build ‘read-the-label’ habits into inductions and toolbox talks.

The Importance of Treating Disinfectants Differently

Disinfectants are not 'just another chemical' on the cleaning trolley. They are regulated

biocidal agents whose performance directly affects health and safety outcomes. Treating them casually, like ordinary detergents or soaps defeats their very purpose.

In the cleaning industry, expiry dates must be treated as critical control points, not mere

labels. When expiry control is neglected, teams may believe they are disinfecting when in reality they are only washing surfaces. That creates a false sense of safety, particularly in environments where microbial control is non-negotiable, such as food handling, healthcare and manufacturing.

A disinfectant that is past its expiry date should never be assumed to work. The only

exception is when the product has been re-tested for efficacy through an accredited

laboratory, specifically one that meets SANS 17025 requirements for competence in

microbiological testing. If the laboratory’s results confirm that the product still meets the

required kill claims, the manufacturer may issue a formal written extension of shelf life.

Without both these steps; laboratory verification and manufacturer approval, the product must be reclassified and used only as a cleaner.

The Take Away

The classification must match the function. In practice, “expiry” is simply the point where

the product’s disinfectant identity is no longer warranted. Call it what it is from that day

forward and your teams will make safer and more compliant choices.

“Using an expired disinfectant and expecting it to disinfect is like using expired milk and expecting it to make good coffee; either way, someone is going to get sick.”

At Safic, we believe that real service goes beyond selling chemicals. It is about sharing

knowledge that protects people, improves systems and builds trust because WE CARE.