Guide
Four colours, one rule: a colour never leaves its area.
Colour coding stops a toilet mop reaching a kitchen floor. It only works if the colour survives the wash and every refill in the range follows the same chart.
Toilets, urinals and the floor around them
Highest-risk areas. Red never leaves the washroom.
Washroom basins, showers and other washroom surfaces
Washroom, but away from toilets.
General areas: offices, classrooms, corridors, common rooms
Low-risk, high-traffic spaces.
Kitchens, food preparation and food service areas
Kept apart from washroom contamination.
A common scheme in Australian and New Zealand commercial cleaning, not a single national standard. Healthcare and food businesses follow their own state or site policy — match your customer’s chart.
How a refill carries the colour.
- Round mop heads
- Coloured yarn throughout, or a coloured tailband on white or grey yarn.
- Flat mop pads
- Coloured edge binding, a coloured tag, or a coloured face.
- Cloths
- Solid colour throughout.
Colour fastness is checked by washing each colour with a white cloth before approval. Internal screening test. Not an accredited laboratory certification.