Astral Hygiene Blog | Commercial Cleaning & Hygiene Advice UK

  Care Home Case Study – Uric Acid and Odour Control  21st March 2025  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene Following on from last weeks case study, I thought this week I’d expand and discuss the best way and the appropriate products to help to control the odours associated with incontinence. The urine odour that is associated with urinary incontinence is caused by the water products from the kidneys, including ammonia, urea and other compounds. These water products are encased by protein, which is made up of amino acids – amino acids are inherently sticky, so they stick to any surface that isn’t completely smooth. This characteristic means that uric acid sticks in between tiles, to grout and to the fibres that make up mattresses. The thing about uric acid, the smell comes from the break down of urea into ammonia. In dementia patients dehydration is an important factor, as many patients forget to drink and become de...

 Infection Prevention and Control: Care Home case study  14th March 2025 | Environmental Health, Hygiene, Cleaning Tips Infection Prevention and Control: Care Home case study Today, I'd like to discuss the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance for care homes (released by NHS Scotland and the Care Inspectorate), specifically those caring for elderly patients with dementia. I've reviewed the latest IPC and Care Inspectorate documentation to ensure that my advice aligns with current standards. Having worked with several care homes over the last few years, I have been heavily involved in implementing cleaning guidance, and also attending meetings with the NHS Care Home Assurance Team to give me clear insight into what the standards are and what I need to do as a supplier to make it enhance my understanding so I can help my clients to achieve and attain the standard set out in these guidelines. **Hand Hygiene** Hand hygiene remains crucial in reducing infection transmissi...