What is the iodine concentration range for cleaning?

• A. 50-100 mg/L
• B. 12.5-25 mg/L
• C. 1-5 mg/L
• D. 100-200 mg/L

Answer: (B)

Iodine-based sanitizers are used to kill microbes on food-contact surfaces, and the active iodine works effectively at relatively low concentrations. The recommended range for cleaning sanitization is 12.5–25 mg/L, which is the same as 12.5–25 parts per million of free iodine in the solution. This level provides reliable microbial kill while avoiding excessive residues or potential staining and corrosion. Remember to follow the product label for how to dilute to this range and ensure adequate contact time (often about 60 seconds) at room temperature after proper cleaning. Higher ranges like 50–100 mg/L or 100–200 mg/L are typical of chlorine-based sanitizers, not iodine, and a range of 1–5 mg/L would generally be too low to sanitize effectively.