How to Care for Stainless Steel EuroBins: The Do's and Don'ts for Food Factories

A practical guide to caring for the Stainless Steel EuroBins at your food production site - reducing the risk of damage and corrosion.

EuroBins (also known as Tote Bins) are used across the food production industry for the storage and transfer of products and ingredients.

Made from grade 304 stainless steel, they are known for their corrosion resistance, durability, and hygienic design. However, as with any piece of equipment, they are still susceptible to distress when used incorrectly or exposed to unsuitable environments and applications.

This Help Guide offers practical guidance on EuroBin maintenance, covering everything from Integrity Checks and EuroBin storage to Cleaning Instruction Cards and environmental risks.

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The Different Grades of Stainless Steel

EuroBins are made from grade 304 stainless steel. This material offers excellent corrosion resistance, high levels of durability, and is easy to keep clean. In all three areas, it is the superior choice to grade 430 and grade 201/202 stainless steel.

It is also more cost-effective and widely available than grade 316 stainless steel, making it the natural choice for a food factory environment. As the more expensive option, grade 316 stainless steel is typically reserved for marine equipment, pharmaceutical equipment, and medical devices.

Grade	Common Applications
Grade 304	• EuroBins (Tote Bins) • Food processing equipment • Brewery tanks • Kitchen equipment & worktops
Grade 316	• Marine & coastal equipment • Pharmaceutical & biotech • Chemical processing lines • Medical devices
Grade 430 (Ferritic)	• Domestic appliances & panels • Automotive trim • Indoor architectural features
Grade 201/202 (Low-Ni Austenitic)	• Low-cost utensils • Furniture & fixtures • Light-duty food service (non-industrial)

Surface Finish & Electropolishing

In most cases, effective care and maintenance will be sufficient to ensure a EuroBin survives the demands of daily life in a food factory.

However, if your Tote Bins are likely to be exposed to uncommonly harsh environments and applications, you may want to consider EuroBins with an electropolished finish.

Electropolishing improves the corrosion resistance of stainless steel, helping your EuroBins to withstand the effects of regular contact with corrosive chemicals.

As an added benefit, electropolished EuroBins have an ultra-smooth surface and an electrical charge that prevents bacterial growth – making them even easier to keep clean.

Materials that React with Stainless Steel

When it comes to extending the lifespan of your EuroBins, it’s important that you consider the materials and textures that have the potential to react negatively with Stainless Steel:

Material	Example	Concern
Carbon steel and iron	• Steel paddles • Wire brushes • Carbon steel scrapers	Tiny particles of ordinary steel can embed in stainless steel surfaces and start to rust, causing corrosion.
Chlorides	• Salt • Brine • Undiluted bleach	Salts and chlorine-based chemicals can result in pitting corrosion (small cavities or pits).
Highly-abrasive tools	• Steel wool • Wire brushes • Gritted powders	Abrasive cleaners and tools can scratch stainless steel surfaces, creating crevices for bacteria and moisture – accelerating corrosion.
Strong acids	• Hydrochloric acid • Sulfuric acid	Strong acids can attack the protective chromium oxide layer of stainless steel.

Managing the Environmental Risks

It is important to consider the environmental factors that could be degrading the surface of your EuroBins. A prime example is low oxygen levels, as the presence of oxygen allows the protective oxide layer of stainless steel to function effectively. Without it, the corrosion resistance of your EuroBins could be significantly reduced.

To combat this issue, try to avoid storing your EuroBins in poorly ventilated areas or confined spaces. Your team should also avoid leaving EuroBins in areas where oxygen levels have been intentionally reduced (i.e. during packaging) to preserve product freshness.

Frequent exposure to harsh chemicals (e.g. acids, salts) also has the potential to degrade stainless steel, especially if your EuroBins aren’t being cleaned effectively and within a reasonable time frame. Click here to jump to our advice for carrying out an effective clean.

Storage & Handling Best Practices

As mentioned in the previous section, it’s vital that you manage the environmental conditions that your EuroBins are exposed to – during both use and storage. A big part of this will be making sure the teams working at your site are aware of the best practice approach to EuroBin maintenance.

This should extend to emptying the EuroBins, as this is where a lot of unnecessary damage can happen. For example, if team members are carelessly tipping EuroBins over, they could be denting the lip – a EuroBin feature that is essential to production applications like vacuum tumbling.

Effective Cleaning Practices

One of the most important ways to extend the lifespan of your EuroBins is to prioritise effective cleaning practices.

The secret is to make life easier for your Hygiene Team, equipping them with suitable cleaning equipment, as well as cleaning chemicals that have been developed with stainless steel in mind.

If you have a large number of EuroBins on site and would like to speed up the cleaning process, Tote Bin Washers are a popular solution. This is an industrial machine that uses water jets to clean EuroBins within an enclosed chamber.

Another popular solution is to work with EuroBins that have been customised to feature a drainage valve. This will allow your Hygiene Team to drain away cleaning chemicals and rinse water. It will also make it easier for your Production Team to empty out products and ingredients.

Integrity Checks & Maintenance

Regular and documented integrity checks are another essential part of EuroBin maintenance. Ideally, your Tote Bins will be checked before use, after use, and after every clean.

During these checks, you should be on the look out for dents and scrapes – paying particular attention to any damage around the lip of the EuroBins. If there is cause for concern, try to establish how the damage was caused, confirming which team members were involved and which applications resulted in this outcome.

Once you have the full picture, you can take preventative action. Common examples include updating your CICs, replacing an abrasive cleaning tool, changing the location of your EuroBin storage, and re-training team members on best practice.

Managing Cross-Contamination Risks

Another key consideration is the products and ingredients that are going to be transported or stored inside your EuroBins. It’s important to think about factors like pH, consistency, salt levels, and any residues that might be left behind.

You should also work to reduce the risks of cross-contamination. Of course this is critical to food safety, but it will also stop residues from mixing into a combination that your Hygiene Team is unprepared for – potentially compromising the condition of your Tote Bins.

If you are concerned about the process of enforcing segregation and don’t want your EuroBins to be moved between different zones and applications without care, one option is to upgrade your containers with colour-coded wheels. This will reinforce your site’s existing colour-coding policy, helping your team to easily identify the right EuroBins for each area and application.

Klipspringer Stainless Steel EuroBins

Grade 304 stainless steel.
120ltr, 200ltr, 300ltr, 400ltr, 450ltr (additional sizes available upon request).
200ltr EuroBins in stock for same-day despatch.
Free delivery across the UK mainland. For NI and ROI, there is free carriage on orders over £500.
Six colour-coded wheel options available.
Customisation options include: mesh inserts, wastage bins, drainage valves, and raised handles.

That brings us to the end of our guide to caring for the EuroBins at your food production site.