Best Practices – NHP and Large Animal
Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols for NHP and Large Animal Research Facilities: What Your SOP Needs to Account For
NHP and large animal facilities deal with cleaning challenges that many other research facilities do not. Accumulated layers of protein, microbial biomass, and fecal residues can become physically cohesive and highly adherent over time, and standard pre-cleaning guidance was not written with these conditions in mind.
Quip Laboratories · Animal Research SeriesThere is a particular kind of frustration that comes with running a facility where the cleaning protocol is technically correct but the surfaces continue to look soiled and stained. You are following the protocol exactly as written, with approved chemistry and proper contact times, and yet nothing ever looks clean.
We see this often in NHP and large animal facilities, and it almost always comes down to one of two things: the disinfectant is meeting the soil load before it meets the surface, or the cleaner is not up to the biology of what accumulates in heavy-use animal rooms over time. And the issue isn't limited to the aesthetics. Tough soil buildup can create harborage areas that can facilitate the growth of pathogenic bacteria that can have a real impact on research outcomes.
What a complete NHP cleaning SOP actually covers
ViveSecure is an EPA-registered disinfecting cleaner built on PerQuat technology — a patented combination of quaternary ammonium and hydrogen peroxide chemistry that gives it the ability to penetrate and chemically lift proteinaceous soils rather than reacting with the surface layer and stopping. In most NHP and large animal settings it handles both the cleaning and the disinfection step, and clients tend to notice the cleaning performance first.
A complete cleaning and disinfection protocol has three phases:
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1
Clean — Remove Gross Soils
Apply ViveSecure and mechanically remove visible organic material. ViveSecure's PerQuat chemistry actively assists in breaking down soils rather than simply rinsing them away — this is where it distinguishes itself from conventional pre-cleaning steps.
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2
Disinfect — One Step or Two, Depending on Soil Load
In the presence of light to moderate soil, ViveSecure functions as a true one-step disinfecting cleaner — apply, allow dwell time, done. With heavy proteinaceous or built-up soils, the protocol becomes two applications: clean with ViveSecure first, then apply again and allow the full disinfectant contact time on the now-cleaned surface.
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3
Validate
Objective confirmation — typically via ATP testing — that the surface is actually clean.
Most facility SOPs do touch on all of these, however phase 1 is often the weakest link, not because it is ignored, but because much of the guidance underlying existing SOPs was developed for environments with routine, short-term contamination. NHP and large animal housing presents a different challenge: accumulated layers of protein, microbial biomass, urine residues, fecal material, and feed byproducts that build up over months of continuous occupancy. These deposits become physically cohesive and highly adherent over time, and standard pre-cleaning guidance was not written with these conditions in mind.
Get our step-by-step SOP for foaming application of ViveSecure in NHP and large animal facilities — built around the specific demands of heavy-use primate and research animal housing.
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What a failing protocol actually costs
When a cleaning and disinfection program is not matched to the actual soil challenge in a facility, the consequences are practical and they compound.
Labor is the most visible one. Cleaning the same surface repeatedly with the same chemistry and getting the same inadequate result is not a staff problem, it is a chemistry problem. But the hours get spent regardless, and at some point that cycle stops being seen as a protocol failure and starts being treated as just how things are in a heavy-use animal facility.
The less visible costs are more serious. Built-up organic soils create harborage niches where pathogens can survive between cleaning cycles. A surface that looks visibly clean after routine treatment may still harbor contamination within the soil matrix, which means the disinfection step that followed the cleaning step may not have had the surface conditions it needed to work. That is a real biosecurity gap, even in a facility following its written SOP to the letter.
For facilities with active studies, there are downstream consequences beyond the cage room. Contamination from inadequate sanitation is a documented source of study data compromise, and the IACUC protocol deviations and accreditation risk that follow documented sanitation failures are the kind of problems that take considerable time and documentation to resolve.
We worked with a swine research facility dealing with two years of accumulated soil on caging, walls, and floors. They had worked through scrubbing, a leading peroxide-based disinfecting cleaner, bleach, CLR, and power washing with no meaningful difference in results. The issue was not effort or frequency. They were applying legitimate products correctly and not getting results because none of those products were designed to chemically lift the type of soil they were dealing with.
A demonstration of ViveSecure at a standard working concentration, applied with a foam applicator and light brush agitation, began visibly breaking up the soils on rinse. The facility noted substantially cleaner surfaces with significantly less labor than any previous approach, and the near-absence of chemical odor turned out to matter in a space with ongoing behavioral studies where introducing a new sensory variable had been a genuine concern.
Two-part chemistry, one simple step
ViveSecure uses a two-part concentrate system, and we understand that can sound like more to manage on an already full plate. It is not, with the right dispenser in place.
The Gemini Model 25 Mixing Station is a wall-mounted proportioning unit that uses a dual venturi injection system to simultaneously dilute and blend ViveSecure 100 and ViveSecure 200 at the point of use, producing a correctly mixed working solution in a single hands-free step. ASSE 1055 certified, it operates on standard water pressure between 25 and 125 PSI. Staff get one trigger, one solution, no measuring — the same simplicity as any single-part product.
Matching chemistry to each point in the protocol
ViveSecure is designed to carry most of the workload in an NHP or large animal facility — handling both the heavy-soil cleaning and the disinfection steps that would otherwise require two separate products. That said, primate programs in particular have requirements that go beyond what a single disinfectant covers, and matching the right product to each specific task is still important.
| Challenge / Task | Recommended Chemistry |
|---|---|
| Heavy soil accumulation, built-up proteinaceous deposits | ViveSecure with Gemini Model 25 for consistent, repeatable application |
| Routine surface cleaning & disinfection (replaces separate disinfectant) | ViveSecure — PerQuat technology handles both cleaning and disinfection in most areas of the facility |
| Supplementary degreasing where needed | D-Limonene — citrus-based degreaser for targeted soil removal |
| TB claim required (NHP facilities) — concentrate | Wex-Cide 128 — tuberculocidal disinfectant concentrate for NHP settings |
| TB claim required (NHP facilities) — ready-to-use | Anlage QTB — ready-to-use tuberculocidal disinfectant spray |
The underlying principle is matching the tool to the task. Facilities that find this kind of guidance useful are often the ones who have been running the same chemistry program for years without stopping to ask whether it is still the right fit for what their facility actually produces. For the TB-claim products, see full details at Wex-Cide 128 and Anlage QTB.
Closing the loop: validation
A cleaning and disinfection SOP without a validation component describes what should happen, but not what does happen. That distinction matters more than it is usually treated.
ATP testing closes that loop. The UCLA vivarium study used it as the primary measure of cleaning efficacy and found meaningful differences between chemistry types that visual inspection could not detect. Incorporating ATP validation into the SOP at initial protocol adoption, after any chemistry change, and periodically as a routine check gives facility managers objective evidence that the program is working as intended, and catches SOP drift before it becomes a compliance issue.
The AccuPoint Advanced Next Generation ATP reader is currently undergoing validation for animal research applications. Ask us about early access and how it fits into a ViveSecure-based protocol validation program.
Getting your protocol right
Most NHP and large animal facilities are closer to a solid cleaning and disinfection protocol than they think. The gaps are usually specific, and once they are identified they tend to be straightforward to address.
If your current program is producing surfaces that still fail ATP, or if your chemistry has not been reviewed since the last time you changed products, we are glad to take a look. We will walk through your current SOP and tell you specifically where the gaps are, at no cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions we hear most from NHP vivarium managers, IACUC coordinators, and animal care staff evaluating their cleaning and disinfection programs.
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A complete SOP for cleaning primate research laboratories should cover three phases: gross soil removal before any chemistry is applied; chemistry application at the correct concentration and contact time for target organisms; and objective validation — typically ATP testing — to confirm surfaces are actually clean. Most facility SOPs address the chemistry phase in detail but treat pre-cleaning inadequately. In NHP settings, this gap is significant because primate housing produces layered, polymerized organic deposits that standard pre-cleaning guidance was not written to address. Every disinfectant on the market is labeled for pre-cleaned surfaces, so if the surface condition isn't met, contact time won't save the protocol.
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Built-up soil in primate enclosures often resists power washing, scrubbing, bleach, and peroxide-based disinfecting cleaners because none of those approaches are formulated to chemically break down polymerized proteinaceous deposits. ViveSecure, an EPA-registered disinfecting cleaner built on PerQuat technology, is designed to penetrate and lift this type of organic buildup. Applied at a standard working concentration with a foam applicator and light brush agitation, it begins visibly breaking up accumulated soils on rinse — often with significantly less labor than scrubbing-based approaches. For consistent, repeatable application, the Gemini Model 25 Mixing Station produces a correctly diluted working solution in a single hands-free step.
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Best practices follow a three-phase protocol: remove gross soils before applying disinfectant chemistry; select a product matched to the actual soil load; and validate efficacy with ATP testing. ViveSecure serves as the primary cleaning and disinfection product across most areas of an NHP or large animal facility, replacing the need for a separate general-purpose disinfectant. Where a tuberculocidal claim is specifically required, Wex-Cide 128 (concentrated) or Anlage QTB (ready-to-use spray) provides that coverage. D-limonene can be added as a supplementary degreaser. ATP validation should be incorporated at protocol adoption, after any chemistry change, and as a periodic routine check.
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ViveSecure is recommended as the primary cleaning and disinfection product for NHP vivariums. Its PerQuat chemistry addresses both heavy-soil removal and surface disinfection, replacing the need for a separate routine disinfectant in most areas of the facility. Where a tuberculocidal claim is required, Wex-Cide 128 (concentrated) or Anlage QTB (ready-to-use spray) provides that specific coverage. D-limonene can supplement the program as a degreaser. Quip Laboratories can review your current protocol and recommend the right combination for your facility.
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An IACUC-compliant NHP cage cleaning protocol documents all three phases of cleaning and disinfection, specifies products used with their EPA registration numbers, defines working concentrations and contact times, and includes an objective validation component such as ATP testing. For heavy-use NHP environments, the protocol should specifically address how built-up proteinaceous soils are handled — this is a common documentation gap that can become a compliance issue. Products should carry label claims appropriate to the pathogens of concern, including tuberculocidal claims where required. Quip Laboratories offers a fillable NHP Cleaning and Disinfection Protocol Template designed around these requirements.
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When a disinfectant won't remove soils or stains from animal housing, the issue is almost always a chemistry-to-soil mismatch rather than inadequate effort or concentration. Disinfectants are formulated to kill microorganisms on pre-cleaned surfaces — they are not designed to remove heavy organic buildup. In animal housing after extended continuous use, soils polymerize and bond to surfaces in ways that standard institutional cleaners cannot break through. ViveSecure is a disinfecting cleaner built on PerQuat technology that is specifically formulated for this scenario. Facilities that have worked through scrubbing, bleach, peroxide-based disinfecting cleaners, CLR, and power washing with no improvement have seen visible results with ViveSecure at a standard working concentration.
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Quip Laboratories offers specialized products for primate enclosures. ViveSecure is an EPA-registered disinfecting cleaner built on PerQuat technology, formulated to handle both heavy proteinaceous soil removal and routine surface disinfection. For areas requiring a tuberculocidal claim, Wex-Cide 128 (concentrated) and Anlage QTB (ready-to-use spray) both cover that requirement. D-limonene is available as a supplementary degreaser. The Gemini Model 25 Mixing Station provides wall-mounted proportioning for ViveSecure. Contact us to discuss your facility's specific requirements.
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ViveSecure is the recommended primary product for cleaning and disinfection in primate research facilities. Its PerQuat chemistry lifts polymerized proteinaceous deposits that peroxide-based disinfecting cleaners and conventional degreasers are not formulated to address, while also serving as the routine surface disinfectant. For TB-claim coverage, Wex-Cide 128 (concentrate) or Anlage QTB (RTU spray) covers that requirement. D-limonene rounds out the program as a supplementary degreaser. Quip Laboratories has supported animal research programs for over 40 years and can match a program to your specific facility.
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Large animal research facilities — including swine, bovine, and equine research environments — face the same core challenge as NHP facilities: conventional disinfectants are tested on pre-cleaned surfaces, but heavy-use animal housing produces layered organic soils that most pre-cleaning chemistry is not designed to remove. The approach that works is matching chemistry to the actual soil type. ViveSecure's PerQuat formulation is designed specifically to penetrate and chemically lift proteinaceous buildup rather than relying on mechanical removal alone. In documented swine facility applications, ViveSecure produced substantially cleaner surfaces with less labor than previous approaches that included scrubbing, peroxide-based cleaners, bleach, and power washing combined.
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Quip Laboratories supplies specialized cleaning and disinfection products for animal research facilities directly through quiplabs.com or by phone at 1-800-424-2436. Products include ViveSecure, Wex-Cide 128, Anlage QTB, d-limonene, and the Gemini Model 25 Mixing Station for point-of-use proportioning of ViveSecure. Quip Laboratories also offers protocol review and product selection support at no cost for facilities looking to evaluate or update their current chemistry program.
Not sure if your current protocol matches your soil challenge?
We will walk through your current SOP and tell you specifically where the gaps are — at no cost. Quip Laboratories has supported animal research programs for over 40 years.