Portable Toilets at Farm Markets and Tailgate Markets

Portable toiletsHaving a sufficient number of portable toilet facilities and properly cleaning and disinfecting them is even more important with COVID-19.  Your labor force may have increased, and your customer volume may be up.  You may need to rent additional toilets or have them serviced more frequently if the farm traffic warrants. A good portable toilet company will be prompt and thorough with their servicing and will leave documentation that each unit has been serviced.

Between visits from the servicing company, someone on your staff should be trained to clean and disinfect the units at least twice a day. Clean the hard surfaces using a detergent or soap and water followed by rinsing with potable water prior to disinfecting. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains a list of disinfectants to use against COVID-19. It is imperative, once you have selected a product, to pay close attention to the contact time on the label which can vary from 1 to 10 minutes. This is the time that the surface MUST remain wet with the product for it to be effective. These disinfectants are for hard surfaces only- do not apply to produce or skin. Wear gloves since these products can irritate the skin.

A household bleach solution can be used to disinfect surfaces. Prepare the solution by mixing 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) bleach per gallon of water or 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water. Bleach and disinfectants should be stored in non-clear containers and used within 30 days after opening.  Proper ventilation and gloves are necessary when mixing this disinfection solution. For more details on using bleach as a disinfectant please read our earlier Plant and Pest Advisory post.  An alcohol solution with at least 70% alcohol can also be used to disinfect.

Disinfection of Surfaces for Prevention of COVID-19 Spread – Use Caution

Cleaning supplies

The chemical concentrations for the disinfection of high touch surfaces in retail markets during the COVID-19 pandemic are higher than we normally recommend. This concentration is for the disinfection of hard non-porous surfaces and is not for use on produce. Care must be taken to ensure the safety of yourself and your workers when using this concentration. Typical concentrations of bleach for sanitizing surfaces is 150 PPM, the disinfection recommended 1/3 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water is 1000 PPM. This concentration can be caustic to skin, airways, and produce.  Take the following precautions:

1. Clean the surface with detergent removing all visible debris and with a clean water rinse.
2. Conduct mixing in a well-ventilated area and increase ventilation when possible in areas of use, wear rubber gloves to protect skin from contact with the bleach and bleach solution.
-If skin comes in contact with the bleach or bleach solution rinse with water, if irritation continues call a doctor.
-If the bleach or bleach solution comes into contact with the eyes rinse with water for 15 minutes, if irritation continues call a doctor.
5. Chlorine PPM measurement strips typically used in packing houses do not go up to 1000 PPM.
-1000 PPM test strips are available online through Granger, Amazon, and restaurant supply stores.
-Test strips must be for FREE chlorine, not total chlorine.
-Test strips have expiration dates, make sure yours are not expired.
6. Follow bleach label instructions for contact time requirement. This is the amount of time your surface needs to stay wet with the bleach solution to ensure efficacy and is usually 1 minute or more.
7. Use containers of bleach that have been opened no longer than 30 days to ensure proper concentration.
8. Mixed concentrations of bleach should be stored at cool temperatures and away from direct light, used within a few days and retested for PPM prior to each use to ensure correct concentration.
9. Do not mix bleach with any other cleanser!