NS-INSTA 800: advantages and disadvantages

INSTA 800 is often sold as the answer to every argument about cleaning. It is not. The standard is a good tool for some situations and a poor tool for others. Here is an honest overview, meant for you who are considering writing it into a contract, or who already have it and wonder whether that was wise.

If you are not familiar with the standard, read What is INSTA 800? first.

The advantages

1. Customer and contractor speak the same language

Without a standard, "clean" is an opinion. With INSTA 800, "clean" is a number: this many accumulations of dirt per object group, for this level, in a room of this size. When both parties see the same sample and the same count, the meeting is about actions, not about who remembers correctly.

2. You buy a result, not a frequency

A contract based on frequency pays for activity. A contract based on INSTA 800 pays for a result. The contractor is free to choose method, equipment and frequency, as long as the level holds. That leaves room for smarter cleaning, for example sensor-driven cleaning, without the customer losing control.

3. Statistical sampling makes inspection possible in large buildings

Nobody has time to inspect 400 rooms. With sampling according to ISO 2859-1 you inspect perhaps 32 of them, and the result says something about the whole delivery. That means inspection actually gets done, instead of remaining a good intention.

4. Levels can be differentiated

You do not need to pay for level 4 in the basement. The standard lets you set different levels per room, per room type and even per object group. The money goes where it shows.

5. The standard is known across the Nordics

Procurement teams, cleaning managers and inspectors in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland know it. That lowers the threshold for using it in contracts and makes it easier to compare bids.

The disadvantages

1. It only measures what you can see

INSTA 800-1 is visual inspection. A table can look clean and still carry bacteria. In healthcare that is not enough on its own. There you need ATP measurements or other hygiene checks as well, and preferably the framework in NS 6600.

2. It requires competence

Counting accumulations correctly, knowing the limits per area class and drawing a proper sample is not something you learn in an afternoon. The standard describes its own knowledge levels for the people who use it. Without training, the inspection becomes as subjective as before, just with a more impressive name.

3. Inspection takes time

An inspection of 13 rooms with counts per object group easily takes a couple of hours. Do it manually with a form and a pen, and the compilation and the report come on top. Many contracts therefore have INSTA 800 on paper, but the inspection rarely happens in practice.

4. The sample can miss individual rooms

Statistics say something about the lot, not about every room. The manager's office can be dirty even if the lot passes. The standard is made to steer a delivery, not to guarantee each individual room.

5. It says nothing about method

For some that is an advantage. For others it is a problem. If you want requirements on eco-labelled chemicals, microfibre or training of the cleaners, that has to go into the contract alongside INSTA 800.

6. It can become an alibi

A level in the contract without follow-up is worse than no standard. The customer believes quality is secured. The contractor knows nobody inspects. The standard only works when somebody actually counts.

When does INSTA 800 fit?

The standard fits well when:

• the contract covers many rooms of the same type, such as offices, schools or shopping centres
• customer and contractor are two separate parties who need a common language
• you have, or want to build, the competence to inspect
• you are willing to spend time on inspection, or have tools that make it fast

It fits less well when:

• hygiene matters more than visible cleanliness, as in operating theatres
• the building is small and you can see every room yourself
• nobody is going to carry out the inspections

How to reduce the disadvantages

Three of the disadvantages are about time and competence. Good tools reduce them:

• Let the system draw the sample, so the inspector skips the tables.
• Let the system keep track of the limits per level and area class, so the inspector just counts.
• Let the report be generated automatically, so the inspection does not end up in a drawer.

That is how CleanFlow is built. The quality profile lives on the room type, the sample is drawn automatically, and the inspector records findings per object group on mobile. The report is ready when the last room is done.

Frequently asked questions

Can we use INSTA 800 without a course? You can, but the result becomes less reliable. At least one person on each side should know the standard well.

Should we have INSTA 800 in every contract? No. Use it where it adds value: many rooms, two parties, a need for objective numbers.

Does INSTA 800 replace self-inspection? No. Self-inspection between the formal inspections catches deviations early. The two complement each other.

Want to see how an INSTA 800 inspection can take minutes instead of hours? Read about INSTA 800 in CleanFlow, or try it free for 14 days.