Drain maintenance in care homes: are you managing the risk?

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and sewer misuse provisions under the Water Industry Act 1991 (and equivalent sewerage legislation in Scotland, enforced by Scottish Water) make it an offence to discharge substances that can damage or obstruct the public sewer network, including fats, oils and grease (FOG).

Food hygiene legislation – including the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 – requires care homes to maintain premises, waste systems and drainage in a clean and hygienic condition, particularly where they may affect food safety.

In practice, care home operators are responsible for:

• Preventing FOG entering drains and sewers

• Avoiding blockages or damage to pipework

• Ensuring drainage systems do not pose a hygiene risk

These are ongoing duties, requiring routine maintenance and effective controls – not action taken only in response to incidents.

These are ongoing duties, requiring routine maintenance and effective controls, rather than action only in response to incidents.

Most sites don't experience sudden blockages. They operate in a persistent low-level state – slow drains, recurring odours, gradual build-up – while that same build-up continues downstream, contributing to sewer problems they're legally responsible for. It's not just the kitchen. Bathrooms, laundry and sluice rooms accumulate biofilm, soap scum and organic residue. Higher occupancy accelerates build-up. Slow drainage or persistent odours anywhere in the building can become a hygiene concern or an inspection finding.

PlatinumEco Probiotic Drain Cleaner introduces naturally occurring bacterial spores and enzymes that digest fats, grease, proteins and organic matter before problems develop. Drains stay cleaner and free-flowing. Odours are eliminated at source. Build-up is managed continuously – not reactively. Documented within your HACCP and cleaning plans, it provides an audit-ready approach you can evidence at inspection.

Applied at the end of the working day, it works overnight – no disruption, no additional daytime workload. For most drains and sink outlets, manual dosing is just 50ml per week, poured directly into the drain followed by a litre of cold water. For grease traps, 500ml per day. Automatic dosing is also available for larger operations.

Plant-derived, fully biodegradable, and available in 5L (100% recycled packaging) and 10L (30% recycled packaging), both fully recyclable.

PlatinumEco brings plant-derived cleaning formulated for care homes – made from sustainable, renewable sources that biodegrade, reducing impact on people and the planet at every stage of the product lifecycle.

PlatinumEco represents real, measurable progress toward reducing your environmental footprint and supporting your organisation in meeting its own sustainability goals and obligations.

Talk to your Spearhead representative about adding PlatinumEco Probiotic Drain Cleaner to your cleaning programme.