Everything needed for one room without returning to the store - sprays, cloths, gloves, bags, a scraper and a brush.

The test is a single trip. If the operator has to go back for something, the caddy is either too small or badly organised, and the time lost accumulates across a shift.

The usual contents are two or three spray bottles, a stack of colour-coded cloths, gloves, waste bags, a scraper or scourer, a small brush and any specialist item for the area.

Compartments matter as much as capacity. Loose items in one open tray tip out and chemicals get knocked over.

Weight is the limit. A caddy loaded with full bottles is carried repeatedly, and an over-large one becomes a manual handling issue.

Standardise the contents. A caddy stocked the same way every time means anyone can pick one up and start work.

Bucket-mounted where the mop bucket goes everywhere anyway, a tote for work away from a bucket, and a trolley where the operator covers a large area.

A clip-on caddy adds carrying capacity to equipment already being moved, which is efficient and cheap. It also means the chemicals stay with the bucket - useful or awkward depending on the job.

A standalone tote suits washroom rounds, spot cleaning, room servicing and anything where a mop bucket is not involved.

A trolley carries everything including waste and linen, keeps items at working height, and can often be locked. It suits hotels, hospitals and large buildings, and it needs space and level floors.

Many operations use all three, matched to the task.

Check compatibility. Clip-on caddies fit particular bucket rims, and a caddy that does not clip securely will drop its contents.

Because unattended cleaning chemicals are accessible to whoever is passing, and in many settings that is a regulated risk.

A trolley or caddy left in a corridor while the operator works in a room puts hazardous products within reach of children, patients, residents, pupils and the public.

In healthcare and social care this is a recognised risk with specific requirements, particularly where residents may be confused or at risk of self-harm.

In schools it is a standard inspection finding.

The controls are keeping the caddy with the operator, using lockable trolley compartments, and never leaving equipment unattended in a public area.

It applies to equipment as well as chemicals - a wet floor sign is a control, and a trolley left across an escape route is a hazard in itself.

Lids, pouring spouts, sieves, mop holders and bag holders - each solving a specific irritation that otherwise wastes time.

Lids prevent spillage in transit and keep prepared solution stable.

Pouring spouts and moulded lips make emptying controlled rather than a splash, which matters when emptying into a low sink.

Sieves and strainers catch debris so it can be removed instead of circulating in the solution.

Mop head holders and hooks keep wet mops off the floor while the operator does something else.

Bag holders on trolleys keep waste collection organised and hands free.

Replacement wringers, castors and handles extend equipment life significantly and are worth stocking - a bucket with a broken castor is usually discarded when a part would have fixed it.

Where the cloths and equipment they carry are colour coded, yes - the caddy should match the area it serves.

Colour coding works when it is applied consistently across everything: cloths, mops, buckets, gloves and the container that carries them.

A single caddy carrying every colour of cloth is workable if the cloths themselves are coded and separated, and many caddies have compartments for exactly that.

Where separate caddies serve separate areas - a washroom caddy, a kitchen caddy - colour coding the caddy prevents the wrong one being taken.

Document the scheme and train it. Colour coding that exists only in the equipment catalogue is not a control.

Keep the coded sets in separate bays; a washroom caddy sitting in the kitchen store is then an immediate finding.

Emptied and washed on a routine, because they are handled constantly and collect everything the cleaning removes.

A caddy is touched with gloved hands that have just cleaned a washroom, and it carries bottles that have been set down on every surface in the building.

It accumulates dust, spilled chemical, hair and debris in the corners and around the bottle compartments.

Wash and dry on a set frequency, and more often in clinical and food settings, where it should be part of the documented routine.

Check for chemical damage. Repeated spills of concentrated product craze some plastics, and a caddy that cracks drops full bottles.

Inspect clips and handles - a clip-on caddy that has lost its grip on the bucket rim is waiting to tip its contents onto a floor.

Small enough to carry in one hand when full, and no larger than the room's requirement - over-sized caddies get overloaded.

The caddy will be carried repeatedly through a shift, often with the other hand holding something else.

Full spray bottles are heavy, and a large caddy invites carrying more of them than the job needs.

Compartment layout affects usable capacity more than overall size - deep divided sections carry bottles securely, a single large tray does not.

Grip matters. A moulded handle that is comfortable with wet gloves is worth more than an extra compartment.

For heavier loads, move to a trolley rather than a bigger caddy. Trying to carry a trolley-sized load by hand is how equipment gets dropped and backs get injured.