If possible, give a preliminary pressure wash with clean water, possibly with a detergent added, to remove gross contamination. After sterilisation, a rinse with fresh clean water will reduce the corrosive effect of the chlorine. Other sources will need dilution calculated from their published concentration of chlorine. Unlike chlorine bleaches they are not inactivated by organic material and are not very corrosive. Iodine Iodine compounds, available as dairy sanitisers, are also suitable for disinfection of containers and equipment.
Phenol compounds Some phenol compounds are also available.
They have the advantage of longer residual activity on treated surfaces than the other types of disinfectants. One disadvantage of these compounds is that they are poisonous and so must be used with caution. Note that formaldehyde or formalin is no longer registered for surface sterilisation. It must not be used for cleaning food containers. AgFax Document No. 23689.