DEAS 793-1: 2020 
ICS 71.100. 40 
© EA C 2021                                                                                                                         Second  Edition 2021  
 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
 
 
Toilet cleansers ― Specification ― Part 1 : Acidic liquid toilet cleansers  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
 
 DEAS 793-1: 2021 
ii © EAC  2021 – All rights r eserved  
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 DEAS 793-1: 2021 
© EAC 2021 – All rights  reserved  iii 
 Forewo rd 
Development of the East A frican Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that thro ugh 
harmonized standardization, trade barri ers that are encountered when good s and services are exchanged within 
the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee (EASC) mandated to develop and 
issue East Afr ican Standards (EAS) and other deliverables . The Committee is composed of rep resentatives of 
the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, tog ether with the representatives from the public and private 
sector organizations in the community.  
East African  Standards are developed through Technical Commit tees that are representative  of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups , private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders thro ugh the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments receive d are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, i n 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards.  
East African Standa rds and other deliverables are subject to r eview,  to keep pace with technolog ical 
advances. Users of the East African Standards are therefore exp ected to ensure that they always have the 
latest versions of the standards they are implementing.  
The committe e responsible for this document is Technica l Comm ittee EASC/TC 074, Surface a ctive agents  
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying an y or all such patent rights.  
This second  edition cancels and replaces the first edition (EAS 793-1:2013), which has been technically 
revised.   DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 793-1: 2021 
 
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  1 
 Toilet cleansers ― Specification ― Part 1 : Acidic liquid toilet cleansers  
1 Scope  
This Draft East African Standar d specifies  requirements , sampling  and test metho ds for acidic  liquid toilet 
cleansers. This s tandard applies to a liquid acid, heavy - duty compound suitable for cleaning to ilet surfaces  
and urinals.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced 
document (including any amendments) applies.  
ISO 862, Surface active agents  — Vocabu lary 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the p urposes o f this standard, terms and definitions given in ISO 862 and the foll owing shall apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsi ng platform: available at http://www.is o.org/obp  
3.1 toilet cleanser  
product used for clean ing toilet and urinal surfaces   
3.2 acidic toilet cleanser  
product used for clean ing toilet and urinal surfaces  which may contain  hydrochl oric acid or phosphoric acid  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1 The acidic toilet cleanser  shall be a homogeneous  aqueous liquid  with a distinct colour .  
4.1.2 The acidic toilet cleanser  shall be miscible in wate r in all pro portions.  
4.1.3 The acidic toilet cleanse r shall be stable, and not deteriorate in storage when kept in it s original 
unopened container at ambient temperature . 
4.1.4 The acidic toilet c leanser  shall not affect  intended surfaces w hen used as directed by the 
manufacturer.  
  
2 © EAC  2021 – All rights r eserved  
 4.1.5 The acidic toilet cleanser  shall not be used for any other  purpose and wit h any other cleaning product.  
4.2 Specifi c requirements  
The acidic toilet cleanser  shall comp ly with the  specific requirements prescribed in Table  1. 
Table  1 ― Specific  requirements  for acid toilet cleanser  
S/No. Parameter   Requirement  Test method  
i)  Total acidity, %m/m  7 – 12 Annex A  
ii)  Total surfactant, % m/m  0.4 – 5.0 Annex B  
iii)  Rust Inhibitor  To pass the test  Annex C  
 
5 Packaging  
5.1 The product shall be packed in suitable containers that are securely closed, impervious to the product or 
shall not be c orroded by the product.  
5.2 The package shall be sufficiently strong to prevent contamination of the product arising fr om the ordinary 
risks of transportati on, handling and storage.  
5.3 The lid or cap on the container shall be such that th e product is easi ly and s afely dispensed from the 
container.  
6 Labelling  
The container shall be securely cl osed, legibly and indelibl y labelled either in English, Kiswahili or French or 
combination or any other language as agreed between the manufacturer and supplier with  the following 
information:  
a) name of the product as “acidic  liquid  toilet cleanser”   
b) type of acid used   
c) manufacturer’s  name and physical address  
 NOTE  The name, physical address of the distr ibutor/supplier and trade mark may be added as required  
d) batch or c ode number ; 
e) net contents;  
f) instruction of use (in either English, Kiswahili or French  or in combination as agreed betw een the 
manufacturer and supplier) ; 
g) date of manufacture and expiry date;  and 
h) type of cleanser 'Acidic';  
i) country of origin  
j) precautionary no tice marked in either English or Kiswahili languages with the following information:   
© EAC 2021 – All rights  reserved  3 
 i) the word 'CAUTION' shall be in a  colour that contra sts with the surrounding for easy visibility and 
shall be followe d with the statement, ‘READ LABEL BEFORE  USE'; 
ii) the foll owing shall be marked immediately under i): 
• 'Keep Out of Reach of Children' ; 
• contains acid, the hazards involved and the necessary stora ge precautions to be used ;  
• that, in case of floor spi lls, baking  soda ash shall be sprinkled over the produ ct and the 
affected area shall be rinsed with water ; 
• the product shall be used for the cleaning of toilet bowls and urinals only ; 
• the product  shall not be used with any other cleaning product ; 
• the produ ct shall b e marked with the following cautionary words  and symbols : 
‘CORROSIVE ACID’ (‘INAWEZA KUUNGUZA / ACIDE CORROSIF ’); followed by the 
symbol,
  
➢ ‘POISON/D ANGER’ (‘SUMU/HATARI); foll owed by a skull and bones,  
 
 
7. Sam pling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with Annex D  
4 © EAC  2021 – All rights r eserved  
 Annex  A 
(normat ive) 
 
Determination of acidity  
 
Accurately we igh 10 g of sample in a 250 -mL Erlenmeyer flask and add 25 mL of distilled water. Add 
approximately 1 5 mL of 5 % aqueous calcium acetate solu tion an d warm contents to 50 °C. Cool and filter into 
beaker.  
Carefully  rinse the Erlenmeyer flask precipitate with  3 to 4 aliquots of distilled water collecting all rinsing with 
the filtrate. Titrate the filtrate wi th standard 1 mol/L NaOH solution.   
Calculate as follows:  
percent acidity =  
sampleof massx NaOHofmLx (mol/L) NaOHofion concentrat C  
wher e 
C = 3.647 for HCI  or 
C = 3.132 for H 3PO 4 
  
© EAC 2021 – All rights  reserved  5 
 Annex  B 
(normative)  
 
Determination of non -ionic, anionic and cati onic surfactant content  
B.1 The molar mass  and chemical name of all surfactants us ed shal l be supplied by the manufacturer on 
request by respective  partn er states bureaux of standards , when use of High-Performance  Liquid 
Chromatography (HPLC) equipment is employed in the determination of surfactan t content in the product.  
B.2 Accurately  weigh abo ut 100 g of the product in a 250 -mL Erlenmeyer flask an d neutral ize it with caustic 
soda solution to a pH of  8.8 to 7.0.  
B.3 Evaporate the resulting solution to dry ness at 105 °C. Cool to room temperature a nd wash the resulting 
solids with five 2 0 mL aliqu ots of chloroform, filtering and collecting each in one  tared 30 0-mL beaker. 
Evaporate the chloroform and de termine the weight of organic solids, ( W1) g. 
( )
productof masssolidsof masssolids Organic1= W
 
NOTE  Myer’s  reagent  may be used to confirm nonionic surfactant.  Dis solve 100 mg to 150 mg of isolated 
surfactants in 5 mL of distill ed water.   Add two drops of Myer’s  reagent.  A yellow  precipitate will form if non -ionic 
surfactant is presen t.  
B.4 Dissolve the organic solids in 50 mL of ethanol and pass resulting solutio n through a 22 mm x 200 mm 
x 250 mm chromatographic column of fre shly rege nerated cationic exchange resin (150 mm to 1 75 mm 
mesh). Wash the beaker with four 50 mL aliquots of  ethanol collecting them in one tared beak er. (Cationic 
surfactant, if present, wi ll be reta ined, the eluate will contain nonionic and anionic surf actants, if present). 
Evaporate the alcohol eluate in  an oven. Weigh accurately, ( W2). 
cationic surfactant, g  = W1 – W2 
B.5 Dissolve organic solids ( W2), g obtained in B.4 in 50 mL of ethanol  and pass the resulting solution 
through a chromatographic column  specifie d in B.4 but having freshly regenerated anio nic exchange resin 
(150 mm to 175 mm mesh). Wash the bea ker with four 50 mL aliquots of alcohol co llecting them in one tared 
beaker.  (Ani onic surfa ctant, if present, will be retained, the eluate will co ntain onl y nonionic surfactant).  
Weigh accurately, W3, g. 
B.6 By difference,  
anionic surfactant content, g =  (W2 – W3) 
surfactant content, per cent m/m  = 
()1003 2 1+−
mW W W  or 
= 
m2W x 100 % (anionic cleanser)   
6 © EAC  2021 – All rights r eserved  
 Annex  C 
(normative)  
 
Method for a ssessing corrosion potential  
C.1 Apparatus  
C.1.1 Squat and tall 1-L Pyrex glass beakers  
C.1.2  Oven , capable of maintaining 105 °C ± 2 °C  
C.1.3  Test panel, made of stainless steel, of  approxima te dimensions 125 mm x 63 mm x 1.5 mm. The 
panels shal l have a c old-rolled finish on both faces. They shall be undamaged and unmarked, flat and with 
their edges fre e from burrs.  
C.1.4  Stainless steel tongs , for handling the panels  
C.1.5 Panel bolders , made of inert material such as polypropylene for use durin g pre -cleaning and drying 
operations  
C.1.6  Rubber bands, of rectangular cross -section, measuring when lying fl at and unstretc hed, 
approximately 80 mm x 6 mm  
C.1.7  Magnesium carbonate (technica l), for us e as an abrasive in cleaning panels  
C.1.8  Distilled water 
C.1.9  Watch glass, large enough to cover the tall 1-L beakers in C1.1  
C.2 Pre-cleaning of test panels and rubber bands  
C.2.1  Panels  
C.2.1.1  Swab the  test panels, two for each test, with co tton wool using a warm 1 % v/v solution of a 
general purpose det ergent.  
C.2.1.2  Scour the panels with cotton wool usin g water as a lubricant and the magnesium carbonate as an  
abrasive .  
NOTE  Scouring also removes any  films produced by reaction between the detergent and the abrasive, for example,  
magnesium silicate.  
C.2.1.3 Witho ut delay, thoroughly rinse the panels under hot tap water, ensuring that all of the 
magnesium carbon ate is removed.  
C.2.1.4  Then, rinse the pa nels in boiling, distilled water immersi ng each pa nel in turn in water contained 
in three 1 -L beakers.  
C.2.1.5 Dry in an oven at 105  °C ± 2 °C.  
C.2.1.6  Allow to cool in a dry, dust -free position.   
© EAC 2021 – All rights  reserved  7 
 C.2.2 Rubber bands 
C.2.2.1  Place the rubber bands in a hard -boiling 1 % v/v solution of a general c leaning de tergent for 10 
min. 
C.2.2.2  Rinse under hot tap water.  
C.2.2.3  Then rinse in distilled water and allow to dr y. 
C.3 Procedure  
C.3.1  The procedure shall be carried ou t in duplicate in accordance with C.3.2 – C.3.9.  
C.3.2 In a tall 1 -L beaker, make up 950 mL of the use dilution of the product under test. Mark th e level of  the 
solution on the side of the beaker.  
C.3.3 Place two rubber bands around each test panel in the direction of the long axis of the panel, e nsuring 
that the bands are flat against both sides  of the panel and that the panel is not touched by the  fingers.  
C.3.4 Five minutes after placement of the ba nds, immerse the panels on their ends as upright as poss ible in 
the test solution, so that there i s at least 10 mm of solution above the p anels. Not e the time. Place the watch 
glasses on the beaker.  
C.3.5 Leave t he panels in the test solution for 72 h.  Ea ch morning and evening, top up the solution to the 
mark with distilled water.  
C.3.6 At the end of the 72 h remove the panels from the test  solution,  remove the bands and rinse the 
panels under hot, runn ing water.  
C.3.7 Then rinse three times as prescribed in C.2.1.4 . 
C.3.8 Finally, dry the panels in the oven at  105 °C ± 2 °C.  
C.3.9 Examine the panels f or: 
a. evidence of corrosion, and  
b. discolour ation.  
NOT E Pitting is most likely to occur where the rubber ban d contacts  the edges of the panel.  
C.4 Interpretation o f results  
If the duplicate panels from the test deterge nts show the same characteristics, record the results. If the 
duplicates differ, r epeat the test using fresh panels.  
C.5 Report  
The product shall be deemed to contain an effective rust i nhibitor if no visible corrosion or discolouration of the 
panels has o ccurred.  
 
 DEAS 793-1: 2013    
 
© EAC 2013 – All rights reserved  
  
 Annex D 
(normative)  
 
Sampling  
D.1 Procedure  
D.1.1 In a single consignm ent, all packages (cartons) containing toilet cleansers  drawn fr om the same batch 
of production shall constitute a lot. For ascertaining the conformity of the lot to the requ irements of this 
standard, tests shall be carried out on each lot s eparately. The number of packages to be selected for drawing 
the sample shall b e in accordance with Table D.1.  
Table D.1 — Scale of sampling  
Number of packages (cartons) in 
the lot  
N Numbe r of packages (cartons) to be 
selected  
n Number of samples  
4 to 15 3 3 
16 to 40  4 4 
41 to 65  5 2 
66 to 110  7 2 
111 and above  10 1 
 
D.1.2 The packages shall be selected at random, using tables of random numbers. If these are not 
available, the followi ng procedure shall be applied:  
Starting f rom any package, count all the packages in one order as 1, 2, 3.... N, selecting every k th package, 
where k is the integral part of Nn.  
D.1.3 From each package thus selected, draw at random an equal number of containers  so as to obtain a 
total volume  of at least 2 L.  
D.2 Samples for testing  
Take at one time all test sam ples required for the tests in 4.2. Measure  the test sample required for 
determination of free alkali or acid content, and use it immediately.