How Do You Clean Behind LST Radiators?

In hygiene conscious environments, cleanliness isn’t an options; it’s a requirement and NHS guidelines state that hospital LST radiators should be cleaned at least once a week.

In schools this is less strict, but hygiene standards must be maintained.

Contour have been blogging about the design of our LST radiators and how they are suitable for easy access for cleaning.

Read on to find out more…

Why Cleaning Behind LST Radiators Is Important

The back of LST radiators are warm, dark spaces that clean the ideal place for bacteria to grow and thrive.

In schools and hospitals there can be serious implications of high bacteria presence as vulnerable children and service users may not be able to combat infections in the same way a healthy immune system will.

Proper cleaning and maintenance of LST radiators, including the back, prevents the growth and spread of these bacteria.

With Contour’s LST radiators, you can feel assured that you have additional protection from BioCote® antimicrobial technology which inhibits the growth of 99.9% of bacteria within two hours.

As well as bacteria, dust build up behind your LST radiator can affect heat output by blocking the grilles and the fins. This can affect the cost of heating a room as the LST radiator will need to be on for longer to make up the difference.  

Contour’s range of DeepClean LST Radiators prevents them from becoming dust traps making them more hygienic wherever they are installed.

Cleaning Equipment

Contour LST radiators are coated with BioCote® antimicrobial technologies. Because of this, we recommend using brushes or damp, non-abrasive cloths without cleaning agents to maintain the integrity of the powder coating.

Microfibre Brushes

Microfibre is a synthetic that’s finer than human hair. It’s used in non-abrasive cleaning cloths and brushes to make them a highly effective way of collecting dust and dirt when cleaning behind LST radiators.

Vacuums

Use either a hand-held or regular vacuum cleaner to get the dust from behind the radiator without the need to reach all the way down it.

This method isn’t always as effective as using a microfiber brush as it doesn’t reach all of the smaller places where dust can hide. However, as part of the cleaning process it’s a good starting point.

RotaRad

RotaRad are WRAS, KTW and ACS approved rotating valve kits that can be installed onto new and existing radiators. They also the LST radiator to be bought down to floor level so that the entire structure of the wall and radiator itself can be thoroughly cleaned.

In schools, it’s often found that students push items into the radiator covers and if this builds up it can cause a reduction in heat output. Installing RotaRad as part of your LST radiators means that these can be easily retrieved as part of the cleaning process.

RotaRad features:

• Flame-free installation

• Simple and fast to fit and operate

• Reliable, safe and economic

• A design life of 50 years minimum

• Can be rotated through 360 degrees

• Slimline, unobtrusive and paintable

Conclusion

Cleaning behind LST radiators is important because it prevents blockages as items are pushed through the grilles and can prevent the growth and spread of bacteria behind them.

Clean them using non-abrasive microfibre brushes, vacuums or damp clothes without cleaning agents to maintain the integrity of the powder coating on the LST radiators.

By using RotaRad kits as part of your LST heating solutions, you can make accessing the back of the radiator and the wall much easier as they lower to floor level, so the entire structure can be cleaned.