From Overuse to Optimisation: A Closer Look at High-Pressure Cleaning in Food Factories. 

In food production environments, cleaning practices are always under review. As hygiene standards evolve and sustainability becomes a growing priority, many sites are re-evaluating their reliance on high-pressure cleaning.

This doesn’t mean high pressure is no longer valuable; rather, there is increasing interest in understanding when it is truly necessary and when alternative methods may offer enhanced control, efficiency, and environmental benefits.

Why is High-Pressure Cleaning Being
Re-Evaluated?

Energy Consumption and Sustainability

One of the main reasons high-pressure cleaning has been called into question is its water usage. High-pressure systems use large volumes of water, particularly when they become the default approach for all cleaning tasks.

In many facilities, teams find themselves relying on high pressure even for jobs where a different method or lower pressure would achieve the same outcome.

As sustainability targets become more of a concern and food factories strive to reduce waste, this level of water use is attracting more scrutiny.

The Aerosol Effect

Another factor is the “aerosol effect.” When water is sprayed at high pressure, the droplets produced are much finer and lighter. These droplets can remain suspended in the air for longer and travel further than intended before settling

In a food factory environment, this can create challenges for hygiene control. For instance, if a high-pressure washdown is carried out on an area that handles allergens, the resulting droplets can contain allergenic particles. These may drift towards nearby open production lines and settle on equipment or food-contact surfaces.

Likewise, when drains are cleaned at high pressure, droplets containing harmful bacteria such as E. coli can become airborne and move into production zones – potentially spreading organisms that would normally remain contained within the drainage system.

What are the Alternatives?

Detail Cleaning Equipment

For many sites, reviewing high-pressure cleaning simply means widening the toolkit. Detail cleaning equipment can make the early stages of cleaning more effective. For example, long-handles will allow your team to reach tight spaces, scraper noses provide extra pressure for scrubbing, and stiff bristles ensure effective agitation.

When heavy soils are removed manually, a medium or even low-pressure rinse is often enough to finish the job. This not only reduces water use but also limits aerosol generation, while still achieving ideal hygiene outcomes.

Dedicated Drain Cleaning Equipment

High-pressure sprayers can be effective at dislodging debris from drains, but there is a risk that the spray will rise up in an uncontrolled way, releasing droplets into the surrounding environment. This is a particular concern because drains are hotspots for harmful bacteria such as E. coli.

Drain cleaning equipment offers a more contained and controlled approach. Dedicated tools such as squeegees, hand-held brushes, and tank brushes allow teams to target cleaning directly where it is needed, reducing the risk of airborne contamination.

Improved Use of Cleaning Chemicals

The intelligent selection and application of cleaning chemicals is another way to reduce reliance on high-pressure cleaning. When the right chemicals are used with proper contact times, they break down soils more effectively, reducing the need for high-pressure force.

Training staff on chemical selection and correct application is crucial. Teams who understand how chemicals work in combination with manual or mechanical cleaning techniques can achieve high hygiene standards while limiting aerosol generation, cross-contamination risks, and overall resource use.

The Role of Segregation Solutions

It’s important to consider how segregation solutions interact with your cleaning methods. Dividers such as SegriScreens and SegriCurtains are designed to reduce the risk of cross-contamination by containing spray, debris, and cleaning chemicals within designated areas, but their effectiveness can be influenced by the intensity and direction of the clean.

The issue is not with the segregation solutions themselves but with the aerosol risks created by excessive pressure. By reducing reliance on high-pressure methods, these solutions can perform at their best, helping maintain a safer and more controlled hygiene process.

SegriScreens

SegriScreens offer a highly flexible and portable option. They can be nested, extended, and easily wheeled into washrooms for cleaning, making them ideal for environments where cleaning requirements change frequently.

However, because SegriScreens do not extend from ceiling to floor, the aerosol effect remains an important concern. High-pressure spray can create fine droplets that may travel over or under the screens depending on the angle and intensity of use.

This is one of the key reasons why medium or low pressure cleans should be considered, as it helps to minimise the chance of airborne contamination escaping the contained area.

SegriCurtains

SegriCurtains, on the other hand, provide a much more complete physical barrier because they run from ceiling to floor. This design offers greater protection against cleaning spray or chemicals drifting into adjacent production zones.

The trade-off is that SegriCurtains are less portable and not as easy to clean as SegriScreens. They are therefore best suited to fixed cleaning applications, where the same equipment is cleaned regularly in the same location while nearby production lines continue to operate.

Using the A3 System to Support Your Case

If you need evidence to justify reducing high-pressure cleaning, the A3 System offers a straightforward way to demonstrate risk.

By testing nearby production lines before and after a high-pressure clean, the A3 System can detect any organic residue that may have drifted as a result of aerosol formation.

If residues appear where they shouldn’t, you will have clear, objective data showing how high-pressure methods can spread contaminants – supporting the argument for adopting safer, lower-pressure alternatives.

High-pressure cleaning still has value, but it shouldn’t be the default choice. By using alternative tools, better chemical application, and effective segregation, food factories can reduce water use and minimise aerosol risks without compromising hygiene.

And with the A3 System providing clear evidence of contamination drift, teams can confidently justify a more controlled, optimised approach to cleaning.

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