DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 2227  
First  Edition  
2020 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 2227 : 2020 
© UNBS 2020   
  
Toilet Brush — Specification  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 2227 : 2020  
 
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  1 
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2019   
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS . 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
P.O. Box 6329  
Kampala  
Uganda  
Tel: +256 41 4 333 2 50/1/2/3  
Fax: +256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 2227: 2020  
2 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Contents  
Contents  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 2 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 3 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 4 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 4 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 4 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 5 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 5 
4.1.5  Block and handle  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...5 
4.1.6  Bristles  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 5 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 6 
5 Dimensions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 6 
6 Test methods for dimensions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 6 
6.1 Bristle diameter  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......6 
6.2 Bristle length  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 6 
6.3 Handle length  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 7 
6.4 Handle strength  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......7 
6.4.1  Apparatus  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 7 
6.4.2  Test Specimen  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 7 
7 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 7 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 7 
9 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 7 
Annex  A (normative)  Determination of Moisture Content for wooden brushes  ................................ ......... 8 
A.1 Test Specimen  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 8 
A.2 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 8 
A.3 Calculation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 8 
Annex  B (normative)  Determination of Pull Strength  ................................ ................................ .................... 9 
B.1 General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 9 
B.2 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 9 
Annex  C (Normative)  Determination of Corro sion Resistance  ................................ ................................ .. 10 
Annex  D (Normative)  Sampling of Toilet Brushes and Criteria for Conformity  ................................ ....... 11 
D.1 Scale of Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  11 
D.2 Criteria for Conformity  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  11 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  12 
 DUS 2227 : 2020  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  3 
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a paras tatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO ) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committe es. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by t he Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS /TC 5, Chemicals and 
Environment , Subcommittee SC 3, Plastics and related products.  DUS 2227: 2020  
4 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
  Toilet Brush — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft Uganda  Standard specifies the requirements, meth ods of sampling and test for brush used for 
scrubbing and cleaning toilet bowls  and urinal trenches  
2 Normative references   
There are no normative references in this document.  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of th is document, the following terms a nd 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 organ ic 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 materia l 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, i s far as practicable, consists of production units of a single type, class, size  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  
3.6  
pith 
a 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  DUS 2227 : 2020  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  5 
 3.7 
bristle length  
length  of the monofilament t hat protrudes from the block  
3.8 
handle  length  
part of handle th at protrudes from the block  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1  The toilet brush shall have a smooth finish and all the componen ts shall be free from imperfections 
and defects, which might impair its serviceability  
4.1.2 Surfaces  shall be free from  sharp edges or corners that may cause injury to the user,  
4.1.3 The head and handle may be suitably coloured.  
4.1.4 The brush shall be supplied with a holder or bo wl and the brush head shall fit completely in the bowl.  
4.1.5 Block and h andle  
4.1.5.1 Material used for making the block  and handle  shall be made of plastic, metal, wood or any 
suitable material.  
4.1.5.2 Wooden handle and block, shall be free from brashness, any kind of biological or non -biological 
deterioration, insec t 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.  
4.1.5.3 Plastic  handle and block shall be made of plastic which do es not deflect while cleaning, and t he 
handle shall fit firmly in the block   
4.1.5 .4 The h andles  shall be designed as to provide a firm and stable grip under normal conditions of 
use. 
4.1.6  Bristles  
4.1.6.1. Bristles  shall be stiff: made of animal hair, metal, plastic (synthetic), natural mate rial such as 
coconut fibre, sisal fibre or any other suitable material . 
4.1.6.2 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 . 
4.1.6.3 Each  tuft shall contain bristles  of uniform length,  diameter,  quantity and of the same synthetic 
material.  DUS 2227: 2020  
6 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 4.2 Specific requirements  
4.2.1  Toilet brush shall conform to the requirements given in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the 
test methods specified therein.  
 
Table1 — Specific requirements for toilet brush  
Characteristic  Requirement  Test 
method  wooden  plastic  
Moisture content,%, max  15 - Annex A  
Tuft anchorage  Neither a tuft nor its individual bristle 
shall dislodge.  Annex B  
 
4.2.2  When metal is used as  any of the components of the brush it shall be corrosion -resistant or shall  be 
protected against corrosion, thus when tested in accordance with An nex C, the surfaces  shall show no sign of 
corrosion  
5 Dimensions  
Toilet brush shall conform to the minimu m dimensions given in Table 2  
Table2 — Table for minimum dimensions  
SN Parameter  Quantity  
i.  Bristle diameter  (mm)  0.35 
ii.  Bristle length (mm)  29.0 
iii.  Handle length  (mm)  300.0  
iv.  Handle  stren gth (N) 40.0 
v.  Number of bristles per brush  2000  
vi.  Pull Strength for 1 min (N)  50.0 
6 Test methods for dimensions  
6.1 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 bristl es to the nearest 0.01 
mm. Select the six bristles from six random t ufts from the same brush head, th en calculate the average bristle 
diameter   
6.2 Bristle length  
The bristle length shall be measured using a vernier calliper, measure the length of six bris tles to the nearest 
0.01 mm. Select the six bristles from six random tufts from the same brush head. Calculate the average bristle 
length.  DUS 2227 : 2020  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  7 
 6.3 Handle length  
The handle length  shall be m easured using a graduated  metre ruler /tape measure with a scale of 1 m m or 
any other suitable instrument , capable of  measuring length to the nearest 1 mm.  
6.4 Handle strength  
6.4.1  Apparatus  
6.4.1.1  A means of supporting the head of the brush with the handle horizontal  
6.4.1.2  A means of applying a force perpendicular to the  handle  
6.4.2  Test Specimen  
Toilet brushes used in the sampling plan  
6.4.3  Procedure  
6.4.3.1  Horizontally support the head of the toilet brush under test such that the handle cantilevers  
6.4.3.2  Apply a perpendicular force to the handle at a distance of 25 0mm from the block -handle joint  until the 
handle detaches  from the head, r ecord the fo rce at which this happens.  
7 Packagin g 
The brush head and the bowl shall be neatly  and firmly secured  with polythene  
8 Labelling  
8.1 The brush or its bowl shall be indel ibly marked or stamped with the following ; 
a) name/ trademark or address of manufacturer;  
b) batch number;  
c) code of resin if plastic material is used  
8.2 The package shall be legibly marked or stamped with the following ; 
1) name of product “toilet brush”;  
2) country of origin ;  
3) date of manufacture;  
9 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with Annex  D DUS 2227: 2020  
8 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of Moisture Content for wooden  brushes  
A.1 Test Specimen  
The entire block used in brush may form the test specimen for the determi nation of moisture content or apiece  
cut from it. When for any reason, additional determination of moisture content is required, separa te samples 
shall be prepared from  the sample material used in preparing the test specimens. Smaller specimens may be 
used  when deemed necessary. The test shall be carried out immediately after cutting the specimen  
A.2 Procedure  
Weigh  accurately each test specimen and dry it in a ventilated oven at a temperature of 105 °C ± 2 °C until 
the mass becomes constant between two suc cessive weighing  made at an interval of not less than one hour  
A.3 Calculation  
% moisture content = 
100
oo 1
www  
 
Where :  
W1  initial mass in grams of test specimen, and  
W0 oven -dry mass in grams of the test specimen  
 DUS 2227 : 2020  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  9 
 Annex B 
(normative)  
 
Determination of Pull Strength  
B.1 General  
A simple instrument as shown in Fig. B1 can be us ed for testing the pull strength . This unit is suitable for 
mounting on wall. It consists of dial force gauge /weighing scale (0 -10 kg) operating  on spring (A) mounted on 
a plate (B). A tubular tuft holder (C) is hung 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 havi ng traceability  
B.2 Procedure  
B.2.1 Fix a  toilet  brush with bristles in upward direction in the brush holder with the help of screw (G). Divide 
the bristles into segments of about 10 mm length.  
B.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).  
B.2.3 Adjust the pointer on dial to z ero by adjustment of screw (F).  
B.2.4 Move down the brush holder slowly with screw (F) watching the pointer on dial carefully until it 
reaches 5 kg mark and keep it there for 1 min. Then remove the brush from the gadget and examine. The 
bristles of any segment shall not come out during the tes t. 
Note:  The force required for pulling out an individual tuft shall n ot be less than 50.0 N for 1 min. . 
 
Fig. B1 Instrument for determination of pull strength  DUS 2227: 2020  
10 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Annex  C 
(Normative)  
 
Determination of Corrosi on Resistance  
Submerge all metal components for 7 h in distilled 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 com pliance with 4. 2.2. DUS 2227 : 2020  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  11 
 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 d ivided 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 requirem ents of this specification shall be ascertained for 
each lot separately. The number of brushes to be selected for this purpose shall be in accordance w ith col. 1 
and col. 2 of Table D1 
Table D1 — Scale of Sampling  
No. of brushes in a lot  
N No. of brushes t o 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 selected 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 r th brush thus c ounted shall be withdrawn to constitute the sample.  
b) If the brushes in a lot are packed in more than one box, approximately equal number 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 D3. 
D.2 Criteria for Conformity  
For declaring the conformity of the lot to the requirements of this specification, all the  brushes selected 
according to D .1.3 shall satisfy the relevan t requirements given  in clause 4.  DUS 2227: 2020  
12 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] IS 2616 :1963 , Specification for brush, (i) cleaning tank, and (ii) commode and lavatory  
 [2] TZS 1096;2010  –Toilet Brush, (Commode Chutes) – Specification  
 DUS 2227: 2020  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  13 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda Nation al Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that sta ndard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars  of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 2227: 2020    
 
ICS 49.025.40  
Price based on nn pages  
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