Important: Disinfectant

Who hasn't experienced this: Hand sanitizer is a perennial favorite and therefore always empty. For this reason, a large refill container is kept in the cupboard, eliminating the need to constantly reorder smaller containers. Every time the dispensers at the sink are refilled, the date must be checked and, if necessary, changed: the expiration date, however! For cost and practical reasons, many laboratories have switched to keeping a large container in the cupboard from which the empty hand sanitizer container is refilled. After this task, the diligent employees always dutifully change the date on the visible dispenser. Only upon closer inspection, it is often the filling date that is being updated. Documenting the filling or manufacturing date on the corresponding bottles makes perfect sense for chemicals in the laboratory. You learn this during your training or studies. In the case of disinfectants, however, it is much more important to indicate the expiration date on the dispenser, because an expired product is obviously undesirable for disinfection. It is therefore recommended that you always make sure to mark the expiration date—and, if you wish, the filling date—on the containers at the sink. And at this point: Check regularly whether the disinfectant products in your lab cabinet and in use are the same as those listed in the respective hygiene plan. If they match, take a look at the RKI list to see if the product is approved. Things change occasionally here, too...