The toilet doesn’t look very clean.
I’ll put a glug of bleach in there with the toilet cleaner.
NOOOOO! Now you’ve potentially just made toxic chlorine gas, which can essentially burn internal tissue when inhaled!!
And it’s exactly why COSHH training matters in commercial cleaning!
C.O.S.H.H. - i'ts not just another acronym.
COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations) https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/overview.htm is the UK legislation designed to protect people from hazardous substances used in the workplace. It exists to make sure risks are understood, controlled, and managed in workplaces. It’s a legal requirement. Employers or employees who fail to provide or follow training face severe consequences, including unlimited fines, enforcement notices and potentially imprisonment.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance for the cleaning industry makes clear that cleaning chemicals are hazardous substances and must be properly assessed, stored and used safely. (https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/industry/cleaning.htm). COSHH doesn’t just mean “chemicals in bottles” it includes anything that can be inhaled, absorbed through the skin, ingested, or cause harm through exposure in the workplace.
The Label Isn’t For Decoration
“Just use a bit extra.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“Stick it in that spray bottle, we’ll remember what it is.”
COSHH issues in commercial cleaning rarely come from bad intentions.
They come from ignoring the simplest safety system already in front of us: the label.
Cleaning products aren’t sold with warnings, symbols, dilution instructions, and hazard statements because it looks professional.
They are there because the product can be harmful if used incorrectly.
A cleaning product comes with information for a reason.
Once a product leaves its original container, you lose:
- Clear identification
- Safe dilution guidance
- Hazard warnings
- Emergency instructions
At that point, you’re no longer using a controlled product, you’re guessing.
And guessing with chemicals is where accidents happen.
Real-World Risk Still Exists
In 2025, London Fire Brigade again warned about dangerous chemical reactions caused by mixing cleaning products. They responded to over 150 incidents linked to cleaning chemicals in 2 years, just in London! (www.warning-for londoners-using-cleaning-chemicals)
These incidents often start with something simple, someone cleaning and trying to improve results without understanding the products they are using.
And it’s why employing professional cleaners who have the training and knowledge they need is so important.
Storage: Where Small Mistakes Become Big Risks
Cleaning cupboards in workplaces are often tight, busy spaces.
If products are not stored correctly or clearly identified, the risks increase quickly:
wrong product used on the wrong surface
incompatible chemicals stored together
leaks and spills
accidental mixing during use
exposure without the correct PPE
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) consistently highlights poor chemical storage and lack of proper labelling as key failings in COSHH compliance.
And it only takes one mistake for it to become an incident.
Cleaning Myths That Cause Problems
“More chemical means a better clean”
Usually the opposite.
Many products are designed to work at specific dilution ratios. Using too much can leave residue, damage surfaces, create strong fumes, and increase health risks for both cleaners and building users.
“If it smells strong or nice, it’s working”
Smelling the cleaning chemical does not prove that something is clean.
In many cases, strong smells are actually a sign products are being overused or ventilation is poor.
“Any spray bottle will do”
Unlabelled bottles are one of the biggest COSHH failures found during workplace inspections.
Spray the wrong general-purpose cleaner onto a polished wooden meeting table and it can strip the finish, leaving permanent dull patches that no amount of polishing will fix.
If an unlabelled bottle leaks, gets mixed up, or is used incorrectly, staff have no idea what exposure risks they are dealing with.
“Cleaning is low-risk work”
Well yes, but only when done properly, following guidelines and any safety measures.
Done badly, it creates unnecessary risks for everyone on site.
Professional cleaning involves chemicals, manual handling, health and safety, infection control, electrical equipment, and working around other people.
In-House Cleaning and COSHH Responsibility
If you’re employing an in-house cleaner, COSHH responsibilities still sit with the employer. That means you are responsible for providing COSHH training, maintaining risk assessments, and ensuring chemical safety data sheets are available and up to date. These are all part of COSHH regulations and not optional extras.
A good professional cleaning company will already have these systems in place and will have trained its cleaning employees to be knowledgeable and competent in the safe use of the chemicals they work with on a daily basis.
Why it matters
If you hire a cleaning company, you are trusting them to manage chemicals safely in your building every day.
That means:
- products are correctly labelled
- storage is controlled
- staff understand what they are using
- COSHH information is followed
- no “guesswork” cleaning takes place
Because a clean building should never come at the cost of safety.
At Solutions Services Ltd, we treat COSHH as part of professional standards, not an afterthought. Labels stay on products, instructions are followed, and staff are trained to understand exactly what they are using — and why it matters.
Because the warning is already on the bottle.
We just make sure it’s followed.
