IBC Tote Cleaner
Keep your IBC tote clean and safe with professional cleaning equipment
Intermediate bulk containers, or IBCs, are industrial-grade containers purposefully designed and engineered for mass handling, transport and storage of a variety of products that range from liquids to semi-solids to pastes and solids. Many IBCs have a liquid capacity of up to 3,000 liters, making them a practical material handling strategy while also complying with federal transportation regulations. Commonly constructed from a combination of blow-molded plastic within a metal cage, IBCs are also commonly reused following delivery. However, it’s imperative that before IBCs are filled with other products and reused, they’re properly cleaned and sanitized. That’s where IBC tote cleaning becomes important.
The Importance of IBC Tote Cleaning
The most important reason to perform IBC tote cleaning is so that you don’t cross-contaminate any products upon the tote’s reuse, something that can significantly affect product quality. A business’s biggest competitive advantage is the product it offers, so a compromised product can have a trickle-down effect that can cause reputable harm and lead to customer distrust. A thorough tote cleaning can remove the following from an IBC tote container:
Bacterial growth
Mold and mildew growth
Excess dried-on residue
Dirt and grime
Removal of other contaminants
Additionally, reusing IBC totes allows firms to save on overhead costs, as it’s much more economical to clean and reuse than to replace them altogether. New totes can cost up to several hundred dollars. And while there’s an upfront cost associated with purchasing a professional-grade tote cleaner, it can more than pay for itself over time.
Totes can be manually cleaned, but the process tends to be tedious and it’s often more difficult to reach some areas of the tote by hand. A professional-grade washer equipped with the right type of nozzle can adequately reach all areas of the tote when used correctly.
How to Properly Clean an IBC Tote
The best way to clean an IBC tote is to invest in a professional-grade system to ensure the containers are cleaned thoroughly and there’s no risk of contamination with whatever product will next fill the tote. While it’s possible to clean the tote without a professional-grade washing system, there’s also the risk that you won’t thoroughly clean every surface of the tote interior, thereby risking contamination and potentially affecting the next product’s overall quality.
Professional washing systems are designed to wash, rinse and sanitize the tote so it can be reused. There are a variety of professional-grade tote cleaning systems that firms can deploy for thorough tote cleaning, including the Moog cleaning nozzle and system offered by Haglage Associates. These systems tend to be simple to set up and use. When used correctly, they can effectively clean most totes and ready them for reuse.
The Importance of Drying Totes
Following cleaning, it’s also important that the totes are left to properly dry. If they’re not, algae can begin to grow within the tote. This is especially important for totes that contained food, organic materials, liquids or any water-based product. Totes are best dried via:
- Leaving them out to dry in an enclosed room, which tends to work best for smaller containers.
- Drying them manually.
- Using a tote dryer to remove any excess water on the container surface.
Can All Totes Be Cleaned?
Whether or not an IBC can be successfully cleaned and assigned for reuse largely depends on what type of product the tote handled. For example, some containers that transport hazardous materials may not be able to be cleaned in-house or cleaned at all due to the chemical residue that such products may leave throughout the tote. In this case, professional cleaning may be necessary to ensure that all particulates are effectively removed from the tote’s surface.
Another thing firms need to be aware of when considering tote cleaning is when they receive IBCs from another vendor or supplier. Firms should ensure that they’re acquiring proper documentation of the product that was shipped in the tote to identify whether the tote can be cleaned in-house, should be outsourced for professional cleaning or cannot be cleaned for reuse.
The Moog Cleaning System for IBC Tote Cleaning
As mentioned, at Haglage Associates, we offer a roto jet cleaning system with a special Moog cleaning nozzle. The system is purpose-built to clean IBC totes quickly and thoroughly, eliminating any need for manual scrubbing. The system works via high-pressure water jets that effectively remove dirt, grime, scrum and other contaminants from every part of the tote’s surface. It’s specifically able to remove dried-on particulate that other professional grade systems are challenged to remove.
The system works as it’s inserted into the tote’s top opening, where it thereby blasts water from there. It’s designed to clean, sanitize and rinse, resulting in clean IBC totes that are good for reuse. Contact us today to learn more about our professional-grade IBC tote cleaning system and the Moog nozzle.
Contact Haglage Associates Today
For more information on IBC tote cleaning and for more information on Haglage Associates’ system and the Moog cleaning nozzle, contact us today. We’re committed to providing only the highest-quality IBC tote cleaning products, and our roto jet system fits the bill. Contact us today for more information and to order yours today.