What is dilution?
Dilution is mixing a concentrated product with water to its working strength. Getting it wrong wastes money, damages surfaces, or leaves a product that does not do what it is supposed to.
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<figure>
<img src="https://cleanoptix.co.uk/glossary/dilution/diagram.svg" alt="dilution — diagram from CleanOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>
<a href="https://cleanoptix.co.uk/glossary/dilution">What is dilution?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://cleanoptix.co.uk">CleanOptix</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>Over-concentration is as much a problem as under. Too strong damages surfaces, leaves residue and increases exposure; too weak fails to disinfect while appearing to work.
Dosing equipment removes the judgement, which is why it is worth the capital: a system that delivers the right dilution every time is more reliable than training people to measure.
Decanting into unlabelled containers is the related and more serious problem, because it removes the hazard information from the point of use.
In practice
A cleaner making a product stronger to shift a stain.
It works. It also damages the floor finish, and over weeks it damages her hands, and she has no way of knowing either because nothing told her the strength was a specification rather than a suggestion.
The figures belong on the label and in the data sheet, and the reason they are not printed on training material is that they are product-specific and change between formulations.
The control that actually works is supplying ready-diluted product or dosing equipment, so nobody is measuring anything.
What goes wrong in practice
- Products decanted into unlabelled bottles.
- Dosing systems installed and then bypassed because they are slow.
- Concentrates mixed by eye on the assumption stronger is better.