HEALTHCARE & NHS
Trusted by hospitals, NHS Trusts and healthcare cleaning teams
In healthcare, cleaning has to be right every time: cross-contamination controlled, standards held across busy wards and care settings, and access to essential cleaning materials kept rock solid. That means the right wipe for each task, proven before you commit and reliably supplied. Harrisons provides NHS Trusts, private hospitals, care providers, FM teams with wipes they can use with confidence. From microfibres to colour coded non-wovens, we'll help you trial the right product, prove it performs and keep supply steady, all while working within tight budgets.
THE RIGHT WIPE
Why choosing the right colour coded wipes matters in healthcare
In a hospital or care setting, cross-contamination is a real risk to patient safety, and colour coded wipes are a frontline defence against it.
Used correctly, they keep cleaning separated by area, so contamination doesn't travel between, say, a bathroom and a ward. But the system only works if the wipes themselves perform: cleaning effectively, staying consistent task after task, and carrying clear, reliable colour coding your teams can follow. A poor wipe undermines all of that, and in healthcare, falling short isn't an option.
Stronger hygiene standards
Colour coded wipes keep cleaning separated by area, helping your teams keep cross-contamination risk firmly under control, supporting safer cleaning practices across hospitals and care settings.
Works within tight budgets
A wipe that lasts longer and performs better can reduce how many you use per task, helping teams keep standards high while working within tight budgets.
Aligned with best practice
Used correctly, colour coded wipes help your teams work in line with recognised best practice, including the NHS colour coding standard or British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) guidelines.
Backed by a strong supply chain
With UK manufacturing support, up to 12 weeks of stockholding and a 5 working day delivery guarantee, Harrisons helps distributors and healthcare customers maintain continuity of supply.
OUR APPROACH
How we help healthcare wipe better
RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS
Products for hospitals, care settings and healthcare cleaning teams
Harrisons offers a range of wipes suitable for healthcare cleaning.
Harrisons Hygiene
Durable, absorbent wipes for everyday healthcare cleaning tasks where clear colour coding helps support safer cleaning processes.
THE NHS COLOUR CODING STANDARD
Colour coding, aligned with NHS England
NHS England's National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2025 set out a national colour coding scheme for cleaning cloths and wipes, both reusable and disposable, to reduce cross-contamination between different types of area. The four colours are:
Red
Bathrooms, washrooms, showers, toilets, basins and bathroom floors.
Blue
General areas, including wards, departments, offices and basins in public areas.
Green
Catering departments, ward kitchen areas and patient food service at ward level.
Yellow
Isolation areas.
FINDING THE RIGHT WIPE
How Harrisons has delivered for healthcare
Reducing colour coded wipe costs for a 700-bed NHS Trust
15% saving for a 700-bed NHS Trust: helping an NHS facilities management team cut costs without compromising performance.
A 700-bed NHS Trust’s facilities management team had used the same colour coded wipes for years. As part of a product review, they wanted to see whether a like-for-like alternative could cut costs while giving cleaning teams the performance they needed. Working with the Trust’s janitorial supplier, Harrisons set up a controlled trial. Feedback was positive, with teams reporting better durability and cleaning performance. The FM team switched and achieved a 15% saving, with no disruption and dedicated stockholding to support supply.
20% saving on disposable microfibre for a large NHS Trust, without compromising cleaning performance
After a change in janitorial supply contract, a large NHS Trust needed measurable savings across key product categories, with disposable microfibre cloths a priority. They had been using a leading branded product across wards and wider estate management. Working with the janitorial supplier, Harrisons introduced its disposable microfibre as a high-performing alternative. Trials confirmed it met their standards, and the switch delivered a 20% saving, backed by 12-week stockholding for secure supply.
Reducing colour coded wipe costs for a 700-bed NHS Trust
15% saving for a 700-bed NHS Trust: helping an NHS facilities management team cut costs without compromising performance.
A 700-bed NHS Trust’s facilities management team had used the same colour coded wipes for years. As part of a product review, they wanted to see whether a like-for-like alternative could cut costs while giving cleaning teams the performance they needed. Working with the Trust’s janitorial supplier, Harrisons set up a controlled trial. Feedback was positive, with teams reporting better durability and cleaning performance. The FM team switched and achieved a 15% saving, with no disruption and dedicated stockholding to support supply.
20% saving on disposable microfibre for a large NHS Trust, without compromising cleaning performance
After a change in janitorial supply contract, a large NHS Trust needed measurable savings across key product categories, with disposable microfibre cloths a priority. They had been using a leading branded product across wards and wider estate management. Working with the janitorial supplier, Harrisons introduced its disposable microfibre as a high-performing alternative. Trials confirmed it met their standards, and the switch delivered a 20% saving, backed by 12-week stockholding for secure supply.
REQUEST PRODUCT SAMPLES
Test healthcare wipes in your own setting
Request a product trial and compare Harrisons wipes against your current product in real working conditions. Assess cleaning performance, durability, usability and cost-in-use before making a switch.
Request Product Samples
QUALITY ASSURED
We put over 135 years of wiping expertise into every wipe
Quality assurance is built into every stage of what we do, from product development to material testing to the service we deliver. That rigour is exactly what lets you trust our wipes when hygiene standards can’t be compromised.
7-step material testing
Base materials are rigorously tested for absorbency, strength, durability and lint control.
Proven quality
Tested through ISO, BRCGS and the CHSA.
Technical product expertise
Recommendations based on application and performance.
World-leading nonwoven technology
Key distributor of Chicopee® and Sontara® products, made with innovative nonwoven materials.
Manufactured with sustainability in mind
Our manufacturing process is accounted for in our Planet Mark-certified net zero targets, so quality never comes at the planet's expense.
Learn more
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the task. Colour coded wipes are the usual choice for routine cleaning and for keeping cross-contamination down between different areas, and they’re central to the NHS colour coding standard. Tell us how your teams work and we’ll help you match the right products.
Yes. NHS Supply Chain codes are available for EDW02 and ELF500M. EDW02 codes are available across blue, green, red and yellow. ELF500M is also stocked with codes available across blue, yellow, green and red.
Yes. The colour coding is clear and permanent, so your teams can follow the scheme and evidence colour coded systems in efficacy audits. The standard applies to both reusable and disposable items, and our colour coding runs right across the range, including our microfibres and even our disposable microfibres. It’s part of why products like the EDW02 and ELF500M are used widely across the NHS.
They’re often the best choice where controlling cross-contamination matters most. Reusable microfibre picks up bacteria as it cleans, and needs laundering to a high standard to remove it properly, something many sites aren’t set up to do reliably. A limited-use microfibre avoids that risk altogether: it’s used then disposed of, with no laundering and no chance of carrying contamination from one area to the next, while still cleaning effectively.
Yes. We’ve supported NHS Trusts with savings of up to 30%through product reviews and controlled trials. The goal is always to reduce cost-in-use while keeping cleaning performance, supply continuity and user confidence intact.
Yes. We support hospitals, NHS Trusts, private healthcare providers, care homes, FM providers and distributors with a wide range of wiping products for daily cleaning and hygiene tasks.
Yes. We can support product switching through your existing distributor relationships, NHS Supply Chain requirements or FM delivery routes, so you avoid unnecessary disruption.
Of course. Trials let your teams test wipes in real working conditions before any wider decision, so you can compare performance, durability, usability and cost-in-use properly.
Yes. We can review your current product, usage, supply route and cleaning requirements, then recommend suitable alternatives for trial.
REQUEST PRODUCT SAMPLES
Ready to try out our healthcare / NHS wipes?
Cleaning standards rely on more than people and processes. They rely on products that perform consistently, every shift and every site. If you're reviewing your current wiping products, request samples and see the difference on site.