Shelf Life

Shelf life defines how long an unopened disinfectant will perform to specification when stored as directed by the manufacturer. For chlorine-based liquid products such as sodium hypochlorite, available chlorine degrades over time — accelerated by heat, light and improper packaging. Solid formats such as NaDCC tablets generally offer a longer and more stable shelf life in their dry state.

Using expired or degraded disinfectant can result in solutions that fall well below the required available chlorine concentration, silently undermining infection prevention programmes even when procedures are followed correctly.

Governs procurement quantities, storage conditions, stock rotation practices and expiry checks in hospitals, food plants, distributors and emergency stockpiles. Should be paired with clear labelling of open-container use-by dates.