Why Cleaning Problems Rarely Start with the Product
- Doug Cutter
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
When something goes wrong in cleaning or hygiene, the instinctive response is often the same:
“We need a stronger product.”
It’s an understandable conclusion. Products are visible. They’re tangible. They come with labels, claims, and specifications. Changing a product feels like action.
But in practice, most persistent cleaning problems don’t originate with the chemistry.
They originate with the system around it.
The Pattern We See Repeatedly
Across food environments, facilities contracts, and heavy industrial sites, the pattern is remarkably consistent.
A problem appears:
Inconsistent results
Rising chemical spend
Audit pressure
Complaints or performance failures
The product is questioned.
Sometimes it’s replaced.Sometimes it’s upgraded.Sometimes it’s doubled down on.
And yet, the outcome often doesn’t materially improve.
Why?
Because the original issue was never chemical strength.
It was application.
What Actually Breaks Down on Sites
When results drift or fail, the causes are usually quieter and less obvious than product choice.
They tend to live in areas like:
Incorrect dilution
Concentrates mixed by eye, dosing systems bypassed, or ratios adjusted “just to be safe”.
Poor dwell time
Products rinsed off too quickly under time pressure or misunderstanding.
Inconsistent methods
Different shifts, different people, different interpretations of “how it’s done”.
Training gaps
Informal handovers, tribal knowledge, or reliance on long-standing habits.
Individually, these seem minor.
Collectively, they overwhelm even very good chemistry.
Products Don’t Operate in Isolation
Cleaning products don’t work on their own.
They work inside systems.
Those systems include:
How products are diluted
How they are applied
How often they are used
Who applies them
Under what conditions
With what reinforcement and control
When the system is weak, changing the product simply shifts cost — it doesn’t solve the problem.
In many cases, it actually increases it.
How This Plays Out in Different Environments
Food & Beverage: Approved Doesn’t Mean Audit-Ready
In food environments, it’s common to see approved or certified products in place — yet audit pressure remains high.
Why?
Because auditors don’t only assess what is used.They assess how it’s used, how consistently, and how well it’s controlled.
Site files, documented methods, and training consistency often matter as much as the chemistry itself.
A compliant product inside an inconsistent system still creates risk.
Facilities Management: Same Product, Different Results
In contract cleaning, one of the biggest challenges is standardisation.
The same product can perform well on one site and poorly on another — even under the same contract.
This isn’t a mystery.
Different supervisors, different site pressures, different interpretations, and gradual drift all play a role.
Without system reinforcement, consistency erodes quietly over time.
Mining & Heavy Industry: Real Conditions Change Everything
In heavy industry and mining maintenance, products are often pushed hard.
Degreasers that perform well in controlled environments may struggle under:
High soil loads
Elevated temperatures
Safety constraints
Limited dwell time
Mechanical or manual application differences
When failure occurs, strength is often blamed.
But the real variables are usually method, agitation, temperature, or suitability for the actual operating conditions.
Labels don’t clean — systems do.
The Cost of Treating Symptoms Instead of Causes
When systems aren’t addressed, a predictable cycle develops:
Results decline
Product strength is increased
Cost rises
Inconsistency remains
Pressure increases
Over time, this creates frustration on site and anxiety at management level.
It also obscures the real opportunity.
Because when the system is stabilised, product performance often improves without changing chemistry at all.
A Different Starting Point
A more effective question is not:
“What product should we change?”
But rather:
Where is inconsistency entering the system?
Where is dilution drifting?
Where is method unclear or undocumented?
Where has training decayed over time?
When those questions are answered honestly, solutions tend to become simpler — not more complex.
Why This Matters
Cleaning and hygiene are operational disciplines.
They succeed through:
Clarity
Repeatability
Training
Control
Products are important — but they are only one part of a much larger picture.
When the system works, products are allowed to do what they were designed to do.
And when that happens, performance improves, cost comes down, and pressure reduces.
A Quiet Principle We Work By
We’ve learned that changing what is used before understanding why something isn’t working usually leads to disappointment.
Understanding the system first leads to better outcomes — and more sustainable ones.
That perspective tends to change not only results, but also how people feel about the problem they’re trying to solve.
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