Good unit alignment is important in both stanchion barns and parlors. Once the unit is removed by shutting off the vacuum, the teats must be immediately dipped with teat dip. Teat dipping is still one of the most important steps. The key is that the farmer is using a quality teat dip with research data showing efficacy. Remember, it is teat dipping, not teat end dipping.
Coverage is the most important part of teat dipping.
The primary reason for teat dipping is to replace the milk film with a layer of germicide after milking. If the milk film is not removed, you have left food on the teats to grow more bacteria between milkings and there will be a higher incidence of environmental bacteria present. It is also important to start each milking with a clean teat dipper containing fresh dip. The teats must be adequately covered with dip to prevent mastitis. Teat sprayers have set mastitis control back 20 years because they get terrible coverage on the teats and most dip ends up in the air rather than on the teat.