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Silo Cleaning Services in the UK
Regular cleaning of food silos helps to prevent contamination, spoilage and pest issues, but silo cleaning can be difficult, uncomfortable and dangerous if not carried out correctly. Professional silo cleaning services ensure hygienic conditions, safe food ingredients, and regulatory and audit compliance without compromising on health and safety.
Rentokil Specialist Hygiene have over 50 years experience working in and around silos, for some of the biggest food manufacturers in the UK. With national coverage, modern cleaning and disinfection equipment, and trained, professional staff, trust us to provide your silo cleaning service.
Why Silo Cleaning is Essential?
Storing bulk food ingredients such as flour, sugar and cereal products, or liquid foods such as milk, on site where they are needed is a vital part of running a food manufacturing business. High standards of hygiene at this stage are critically important. If not stored in clean, hygienic conditions, food ingredients can soon spoil as a result of bacteria, mould and pest infestation. Regular cleaning is essential to ensure every area within the silo is reached, using specialist cleaning equipment, or more often than not, safely entering the silos themselves, so a thorough clean can be carried out.
Regular and effective cleaning within silos not only helps to ensure food quality standards are maintained, it is a requirement within key audit standards such as BRCs’ BRCGS (Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standards) and will feature within HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control point) systems on sites.
Our Silo Cleaning Services
Removal of product build-up and compacted residues: Some food ingredients such as flour can be quite easy to dislodge and remove, whereas others like chocolate, or sugar, can often become impacted, or stick to the internal surfaces of the silo. Physical removal of all food products is vital before the finer layers of food dusts can be cleaned and where necessary, surfaces sanitised. The majority of silo cleans involve dry clean methods such as scraping and brushing.
Vacuum and pressure-cleaning techniques: Where possible, cleaning from outside the silo is always recommended. But it's also essential to ensure that the clean is effective and thorough. Using modern, ATEX rated vacuum systems and high pressure jetting and cleaning equipment allows the removal of even the most stubborn, hardened food deposits.
Confined space entry cleaning: To ensure a thorough clean, in most cases it is necessary to enter the silo to allow all internal spaces to be accessed. Our silo cleaning teams are confined space trained, will take regular gas level readings, and have access to modern winch and access equipment, allowing them to access all silos, big and small.
Cleaning of access points, filters, and conveyor systems: Of course, it's not just the inside of the silo that needs regular cleaning. Hotspots for pest infestation and food spoilage need special attention, so we always inspect and clean access points, conveyors and filters systems.
Decontamination and sanitisation: In some types of silo, where there is a heightened risk of microbial contamination for instance, we can provide a final disinfection of the silos interior to help destroy any bacteria and mould that may be present after cleaning. Our powerful disinfectants destroy up to 99.9999% of bacteria and mould, ensuring a clean, safe finish to your silo clean.
Industrial Cleaning Services
The Types of Silos we can Clean
Storing bulk commodities in silos is standard practice in many industries, each with its own requirements.
Food and grain silos
Wherever bulk food commodities are stored, there is a risk of contamination and infestation by pests such as stored product insects. If moisture enters the silos it can lead to spoilage of food ingredients and the occurrence of mould. Regular, thorough, dry cleans of grain silos are a vital part of effective food hygiene.
Chemical silos
Bulk liquid storage for chemical and pharmaceutical manufacture cuts excessive transport costs and improves efficiency on site for thousands of factories every day. Any contamination of these products can cause substantial losses in waste products and further cleaning. By regularly having them cleaned by a specialist cleaner, the risk of contamination is minimised.
Cement and powder silos
Cement, and non-food powder silos require a dry, restriction free environment within, otherwise substantial blockages can build up, resulting in costly down time and repair. By regularly cleaning dry non-food silos, you can prevent blockages occurring and ensure maximum operational efficiencies.
ATEX
Many of the silo types mentioned above can be ATEX (from the French term - ATmosphères EXplosibles) areas, meaning under certain conditions the products stored within can form a potentially explosive atmosphere. This creates an obvious and significant hazard for anyone involved in working within silos. Luckily, Rentokil Specialist Hygiene are the experts in ATEX silo work. Our teams of silo cleaning specialists are ATEX trained, and have access to industrial ATEX equipment to ensure that cleans are carried out safely and effectively.
Our Process & Quality Assurance
Why Choose Rentokil Specialist Hygiene
- Decades of experience in industrial and silo cleaning
- Confined Space certified operatives
- ATEX environment trained technicians
- Specialist equipment and safety systems
- Nationwide coverage with fast response times
- Working knowledge of HACCP and food hygiene requirements
- Full risk assessments, method statements, and documentation provided
Book a Professional Silo Cleaning Service
Keep your silos safe, compliant, and efficient with professional silo cleaning from Rentokil Specialist Hygiene. Contact our expert team today to schedule a site survey or get a free, no-obligation quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What does cleaning in silo mean?
Silo cleaning is the removal and cleaning of food and non food from within bulk containers, or silos. It is a specialist service due to the hazardous nature of the work.
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How do you clean a silo?
Silos are cleaned in a number of ways. Dry cleaning involves entering the silo to scrape and brush product away from the silo walls. Some silos require pressurised water to clean them effectively, whereas others need vacuuming to reduce dust generation. Rentokil Specialist Hygiene can provide the correct technique no matter what the silo cleaning need.
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What is the maintenance of a silo?
Silo maintenance is the ongoing process of keeping a silo working effectively and efficiently. Powered conveyors, filters and access hatches can become blocked if not regularly maintained. Cleaning forms a key part of the regular maintenance of a silo.
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Why do silos need regular cleaning?
If silos are not regularly cleaned, the ingredients being stored within them can spoil, become contaminated, or attract pests. This leads to costly wastage, expensive clean ups, and potential food safety issues.
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Do you provide confined space silo cleaning?
Yes we do! Our silo cleaning teams are trained to safely enter confined spaces such as silos to ensure the best possible clean is carried out safely.
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How do you access a silo for cleaning?
It depends on the silo but typically access involves entering from the hatch at the top of the silo via a specialist winch system. Working this way allows the operator to clean from top to bottom effectively.
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Can you clean food-grade silos safely?
Yes we can. Food-grade silos are usually dry cleaned to avoid introducing moisture which could otherwise cause food spoilage or microbial damage.
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Do you offer nationwide silo cleaning services?
Of course! Rentokil Specialist Hygiene are available across the UK via our network of local branches. We offer 24/7 service, so we can always work around your schedule to clean your silos at a time that suits you.
