DEAS 1082: 2021  
ICS 83.080.01  
 
© EAC 2021                                                                                                                               First Edition 2021   
 EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Toilet brush — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 DEAS 1082: 2021  
ii © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 1082: 2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4.1.1  General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  2 
4.1.2  Block and handle  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 2 
4.1.3  Bristles  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  2 
7 Sampli ng ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  4 
Annex  A (normative)  Determination of Pull out Force  ................................ ................................ ..................  5 
A.1 General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  5 
A.2 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
Annex  B (normative)  Determination of corrosion resistance  ................................ ................................ ....... 6 
Annex  C (normative)  Test methods for dimensions and handle strength  ................................ ..................  7 
C.1 Bristle diameter  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 7 
C.2 Bristle length  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  7 
C.3 Handle length  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  7 
C.4 Handle strength  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 7 
Annex  D (normative)  Sampling of toilet brushes and criteria for conformity  ................................ .............  8 
D.1 Scale of sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 8 
D.2 Criteria for conformity ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  8 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  9 
 DEAS 1082: 2021  
iv © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of prod ucts and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods 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 African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private s ector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East Af rican Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for developm ent of East African Standards. XXXXXX.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee EASC/TC 072, Plastics and related 
products , Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 1082: 2021  
 
© EAC  2021  – All rights reserved  1 
 Toilet brush — Specif ication  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African  Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for brush used for 
scrubbing and cleaning toilet bowls and urinal trenches.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents referred to in the te xt in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated 
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (in cluding any amendments) applies . 
ISO 13061 -1, Physical and mechanical properties of wood — Test methods for small clear wood specimens 
— Part 1: Determination of moisture content for physical and mechanical tests  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the following term s and definitions apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1  
plastic  
synthetic material made from a wide range of or ganic polymers such as polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride 
(PVC), nylon, High -Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), phenolic resin, 
polypropylene, and Ultra -High-Molecular -Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE, UHMW)  
3.2  
wood  
hard fibrous mate rial that forms the main substance of the trunk or branches of a tree or shrub  
3.3  
block  
part of the toilet brush where the tufts are anchored  
3.4  
lot 
unit of production that, is far as practicable, consists of production units of a single type, class, s ize and 
composition, manufactured under the same conditions, and at substantially the same time  
3.5  
tuft 
bunch or cluster of bristles/monofilaments, usually flexible, attached or fixed closely together at the base and 
loose at the upper ends   
2 © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
 3.6  
pith 
tissue located in the centre of the stem of vascular plants which is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma cells  
3.7  
head  
part of the brush comprising of the block and tufts  
3.8  
bristle length  
length of the monofilament that protrudes from the block  
3.9  
hand le length  
part of handle that protrudes from the block  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1  General  
4.1.1.1  The toilet brush shall have a smooth finish and all the components shall be free from 
imperfections and defects, which might impair its ser viceability.  
4.1.1.2  Surfaces shall be free from sharp edges or corners that may cause injury to the user.  
4.1.1.3  The head and handle may be coloured.  
4.1.1.4  The toilet brush shall be supplied with a holder or bowl. If supplied with a bowl, the brush hea d 
shall fit completely in  the bowl.  
4.1.2  Block and handle  
4.1.2.1 Material used for making the block and handle shall be plastic, metal, wood or any other suitable 
material.  
4.1.2.2 Wooden handle and block, shall be free from brashness, any kind of biolog ical or non -biological 
deterioration, insect attack, centre heart (pith), knots (except pin knots), cracks, warp or any other defect 
which may reduce the life of the brush or affect its utility.  
4.1.2.3 Plastic handle and block shall be made of p lastic whi ch do es not deflect while in service , and t he 
handle shall fit firmly in the block.   
4.1.2 .4 The h andle shall be designed as to provide a firm and stable grip under normal conditions of use.  
4.1.3 Bristles  
4.1.3.1. Bristles shal l be stiff metal or plastic (synthetic) or any other suitable material.  
4.1.3.2 Suitable adhesive , wire , nails, or staples shall be used to fix the bristles in the tuft holes. Wire, 
nails or staples used shall be corrosion resistant.  
4.1.3.3 Each tuft shall contain bristl es of unifor m length, diameter, quantity  and of the same material.   
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  3 
 4.2 Specific requirements  
4.2.1  The toilet brush shall comply with the specific requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 1 — Specific requi rements for toilet brush  
Characteristic  Requirement  
Test method  
Moisture content, %, max.  Wooden  Plastic  ISO 13061 -1 
15 - 
Tuft anchorage  Neither a tuft nor its individual bristle shall dislodge.  Annex A 
Bristle diameter, mm, min  0.35 Annex C 
Bristle  length, mm, min  25.0 
Handle length, mm, min  300 
Handle detachment force , 
N, min  35.0 
Number of bristles per 
brush, min  2000  
Pull out force for 1 min, N  50.0 Annex A 
 
4.2.2  When metal is used as any of the components of the toilet brush, it shall be corrosion -resistant or 
shall be p rotected against corrosion, the surfaces shall show no sign of corrosion when t ested in accordance 
with Annex B . 
5 Packaging  
The toilet brush  head and bowl  shall be packaged suitably in a manner that prevents deteriorati on of the 
product.  
6 Labelling  
6.1 The toilet brush or its bowl shall be legibly and indelibly marked in English and/or any other official 
language (French, Kiswahili) of the importing East African country  with the following information:  
a) Name of the manufa cturer and /or trademark;  
b) Batch number; and  
c) Code of resin if plastic material is used.  
6.2 The package shall be legibly and indelibly marked in English and/or any other official la nguage (French, 
Kiswahili etc.) o f the importing East African country with th e following Information : 
a) Name of product “Toilet brush”;  
b) Country of origin;  
c) Batch number   
4 © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
 6.3 The bulk package shall be legibly and indelibly marked in English and/or any other official language 
(French, Kiswahili) etc. of the importing East African count ry with the following information : 
a) manufacturer’s name, physical address and /or registered trade mark;  
b) name of the product as, “Toilet brush”;  
c) declaration of the number of toilet brushes in the bulk package;  
d) batch or code number;  
e) instruction for storage a nd disposal of the bulk packaging material ; and  
f) country of origin.  
7 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with Annex D. 
  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of P ull out Force  
A.1 General  
A simple in strument as shown in Fig ure A.1 can be us ed for testing the pull force . This unit is suitable for 
mounting on wall. It consists of dial force gauge/weighing scale (0  kg - 10 kg) operating  on spring (A) mounted 
on a plate (B). A tubular tuft holder (C) is h ung on the hook of dial gauge. A clamp for holding brush (E) is 
provided which is movable downward and upward with a screw (F). The dial force gauge/weighing scale shall 
be calibrated having  traceability . 
A.2 Procedure  
A.2.1 Fix a toilet brush with bristle s in upward direction in the brush holder with the help of screw (G). Divide 
the bristles into segments of about 10 mm length.  
A.2.2 Insert all bristles of one tuft in the hole provided at the bottom of tubular tuft holder (C). Care should 
be taken not to allow bristles from adjacent segment to enter in to the hole. Fix the bristles firmly with the help 
of screw (D).  
A.2.3 Adjust the pointer on dial to zero by adjustment of screw (F).  
A.2.4 Move down the brush holder slowly with screw (F) watching the point er on dial carefully until it 
reaches the 5 -kg mark, and keep it there for 1 min. Remove the brush from the gadget and examine. The 
bristles of any segment shall not come out during the test.  
A.2.5 The force required for pulling out an individual tuft shal l not be less than 50.0 N for 1 min.  
 
Figure  A.1 — Instrument for determination of pull strength  
  
6 © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  B 
(normative)  
 
Determination of corrosion resistance  
Submerge all metal components for 7 h in distill ed water, then dry them as rapidly as possible at a 
temperature not exceeding 70 °C , and examine the surfaces that are required to be corrosion resistant for 
freedom from corrosion . Check for compliance with 4.2 .2.  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  7 
 Annex  C 
(normative)  
 
Test methods for dimensions  and handle strength  
C.1 Bristle diameter  
The bristle diameter shall be measured by a micrometer screw gauge or a Vernier calliper or any instrument 
that can measure diameter to the nearest 0.01 mm. Measure the diameter of six bristles to the nearest 0.01 
mm. Select the six bristles from six random tufts from the same brush head, then calculate the average bristle 
diameter  
C.2 Bristle length  
The bristle length shall be measured using a Vernier callip er. Measure the length of six bristles to the nearest 
0.01 mm. Select the six bristles from six random tufts from the same brush head. Calculate the average bristle 
length.  
C.3 Handle length  
The handle length shall be measured using a graduated metre ruler /tape. Measure with a scale of 1 mm or 
any other suitable instrument, capable of measuring length to the nearest 1 mm.  
C.4 Handle strength  
C.4.1 Apparatus  
C.4.1.1  Means of supporting the head of the brush with the handle horizontal  
C.4.1.2  Means of applyin g a force perpendicular to the handle  
C.4.2 Test specimen  
Toilet brushes used in the sampling plan  
C.4.3 Procedure  
C.4.3.1  Horizontally support the head of the toilet brush under test such that the handle cantilevers.  
C.4.3.2  Apply a perpendicular force to  the handle at a distance of 250 mm from the block -handle joint 
until the handle detaches from the head. Record the force at which this happens.   
8 © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  D 
(normative)  
 
Sampling of toilet brushes and criteria for conformity  
D.1 Scale of sampling  
D.1.1 Lot: in any consignment, all the brushes of the same size and quantity shall be divided into groups of 
500 brushes or less and each such group shall constitute a lot. Care shall be taken to ensure that brushes 
included in a lot do not differ in construction as far as possible.  
D.1.2 The conformity of the brushes in a lot to the requirements of this specification shall be ascertained for 
each lot separately. The number of brushes to be selected for this purpose sh all be in accordance with Table 
D.1. 
Table D.1 — Scale of sampling  
Number of brushes in a lot  
N Number of brushes to be selected  
n 
Up to 10  2 
11 to 25  3 
26 to 50  4 
51 to 100  5 
101 to 150  6 
151 to 300  7 
301 to 500  8 
 
D.1.3 The brushes shall be selecte d at random. To ensure randomness of selection, one of the following 
procedures is recommended for use:  
a) if all the brushes in a lot are packed in one box, then starting from any brush, count them in any 
suitable order as 1, 2, …… up to ‘ r’ and so on, where  ‘r’ is the integral part of ‘N/n’ (‘N’ and ‘ n’ being 
the lot size and sample size respectively). Every ‘ rth’ brush thus counted shall be withdrawn to 
constitute the sample; and  
b) if the brushes in a lot are packed in more than one box, approximately equal n umber of brushes shall 
be picked up at random from as many boxes as possible so as to obtain the required number of 
brushes as specified in Table D.1 
D.2 Criteria for conformity  
For declaring the conformity of the lot to the requirements of this standard , all the brushes selected according 
to D.1.3 shall satisfy the relevant requirements given in Clause 4.  
  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  9 
 Bibliography  
[1] TZS 1096:2017 , Toilet brush ― Commode chutes ― Specification  
[2] US 2227:2021 , Toilet brush — Specification  
 
 DEAS 1082: 2021    
 
© EAC  2021  – All rights reserved