IBC Cleaning in Food and Personal Care: How the Arcus VASA System Can Solve the Challenge
By Jacqui Kennedy | June 17 2025
Contents
For food and personal care manufacturers, cleaning an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) is about much more than making it look clean.
IBCs are frequently reused for different products, meaning manufacturers need a cleaning process that is consistent, repeatable and effective. Product residues, cross-contamination, excessive water consumption and lengthy manual cleaning processes can all create operational challenges.
For manufacturers looking to improve their IBC cleaning process, the Arcus VASA IBC Cleaning System provides an automated alternative to traditional manual cleaning methods.
The Challenge With Cleaning IBCs
Food and personal care products can leave very different types of residue. Food products may contain proteins, fats, sugars and starches, while personal care products can contain oils, waxes, creams, emulsions, fragrances and other viscous ingredients.
These products can adhere to the internal surfaces of an IBC and can be particularly difficult to remove from areas such as outlets, valves, corners and fittings. When IBCs are manually cleaned, the process can also vary depending on the operator, cleaning time and equipment being used. The result can be:
- Inconsistent Cleaning
- Longer Cleaning Times
- High Water Consumption
- High Chemical Consumption
- Significant Labour Requirements
- Product Residue and Potential Cross-Contamination
-
Increased Operator Exposure
to Cleaning Chemicals
Why Automated IBC Cleaning?
Automation provides an opportunity to make the cleaning process much more controlled.
The Arcus VASA system uses a 360° high-impact cleaning head and an automated, programmable cleaning cycle. The system can be configured with a three-stage process incorporating pre-rinse, chemical wash and final rinse.
This means the operator can position the IBC, initiate the cleaning cycle and allow the system to carry out the programmed process rather than relying on manual cleaning.
1. Consistent 360° Cleaning
One of the key advantages of VASA is its 360° cleaning coverage.
The high-impact cleaning head is designed to provide repeatable coverage of the internal surfaces of the IBC, helping to address areas where product residue can otherwise remain.
For food and personal care manufacturers, this repeatability is important because the objective is not simply to clean one IBC successfully, it is to achieve the same cleaning standard cycle after cycle.
2. Tackling Difficult Product Residues
Thick and viscous products can create particular problems for IBC cleaning.
Creams, lotions, conditioners, sauces, dairy products and other viscous materials can cling to internal surfaces.
The VASA system uses high-pressure cleaning to provide mechanical action to help remove these residues. Depending on the configuration, the system can provide cleaning pressure of up to 150–200 bar.
The cleaning process can also incorporate chemical dosing, allowing the cleaning chemistry to be matched to the product being removed.
3. Reducing Water Consumption
Water is one of the biggest considerations when cleaning IBCs at scale.
Traditional manual cleaning can involve large quantities of water and can make consumption difficult to control.
The VASA system is designed to reduce water usage through a controlled cleaning cycle. The VASA system uses approximately 12–15 litres per minute, depending on configuration.
There is also the option for a sump to capture wash water for disposal or reuse, helping manufacturers manage waste water more effectively.
The potential savings can be significant, while also improving company sustainability.
An example of this was a food-processing site in England, the customer was experiencing excessive labour time, product loss from poor cleaning and high water consumption. Installing the Arcus VASA IBC cleaning system, the customer reported a return on investment of less than six months.
4. Reducing Labour and Manual Intervention
Manual IBC cleaning can be labour intensive and can expose operators to cleaning chemicals and difficult working conditions.
VASA uses a one-touch automated cleaning cycle, with programmable cycle times and a cycle-complete alarm and beacon.
This reduces the amount of manual intervention required and allows operators to spend less time directly involved in the cleaning process.
For businesses cleaning large numbers of IBCs, reducing the labour requirement can have a significant impact on operating costs.
5. Improving Cleaning Repeatability
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits for food and personal care manufacturers is repeatability.
With manual cleaning, the result can depend on how the operator cleans the IBC.
With an automated system, key aspects of the process can be controlled, including:
- Cleaning Cycle Time
- Water Flow
- Cleaning Pressure
- Chemical Dosing
- Cleaning Stages
This provides manufacturers with a more controlled process that can be monitored and verified as part of their wider cleaning procedures.
6. Supporting Cross-Contamination Control
Food manufacturers need to consider allergens and product residues, while personal care manufacturers may need to control colour, fragrance and formulation carryover.
A reliable cleaning process helps reduce the risk of residues from one product affecting the next. The VASA system improves cleaning quality and supports the high level of hygiene standards required for container reuse and reducing cross-contamination risk.
7. A Solution for Personal Care Manufacturers
A VASA Automated IBC cleaning system was supplied to a Personal Care product manufacturer in the UK, with a high-volume of IBC’s to be cleaned daily.
That installation incorporated features including a roller conveyor, wash-water catchment tank, water heating, external washing and an inclined washing position to improve drainage. The system was designed to reduce water, power and labour consumption.
This demonstrates how the VASA system can be configured around the specific requirements of a personal care production environment.
8. Designed Around the Customer's Process
Not every manufacturer has the same cleaning requirements.
Some companies may need a compact standalone IBC cleaner, while others may require a higher-volume automated system.
VASA is available as a modular, plug-and-play system and can be configured with features such as:
- Automated Cleaning Heads
- Chemical Dosing
- Water Heating
- Wash-Water Collection
- Roller Conveyors
- External Washing
-
Automated Loading
& Unloading
- Multiple Cleaning Stations
This allows the cleaning system to be designed around the customer’s available space, production volume and cleaning requirements.
The Result: Cleaner IBCs With Less Waste
For food and personal care manufacturers, the objective isn’t simply to clean an IBC.
It is to achieve a consistent cleaning result while reducing the time, labour, water and chemicals required to achieve it.
The Arcus VASA system provides a controlled and automated approach to IBC cleaning, helping manufacturers move away from labour-intensive manual cleaning towards a more repeatable process.
How inTank Technologies Can Help
As the UK sales and service partner for Arcus Cleaning Systems, inTank Technologies can help manufacturers assess their existing IBC cleaning process and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, hygiene and resource consumption.
Whether you manufacture food, dairy, beverages, chemical, cosmetics, water, waste or personal care products, inTank can support on identifying the right VASA configuration for your application.
The first step is simple: look at how you’re cleaning your IBCs today.
- How much water are you using?
- How much labour is involved?
- How long does each IBC take to clean?
- How consistent is the result?
- And what is the cost of getting it wrong?
The answers can reveal whether automated IBC cleaning could deliver a significant return on investment.
Improved cleaning. Less water. Reduced labour costs. More control.
Talk to inTank Technologies about your IBC cleaning requirements.
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