Scots firm behind revolutionary waterless ‘dry cleaning’ tech supplying NHS and Tesco

A Scottish company behind “dry cleaning” tech that avoids the need to use water and detergents to clean-up spills is eyeing major expansion after agreeing contracts with the likes of Tesco and the NHS.

Edinburgh-based For Spills has inked deals with a number of big businesses and organisations to use its patented Greasebuster, Forspills and Bioperl+ products. Its body-fluid spill kit is described as the first one-solution for all spills, developed in response to an invitation from NHS Scotland.

The firm’s kit includes a biocidal formulation that absorbs and disinfects affected areas at the same time, and a pop-up card dustpan that removes plastics from the process. Greasebuster, meanwhile, is a patented dry powder that is said to be “food-safe and environmentally friendly”, providing a quicker and more effective solution to degrease floors, compared with traditional mopping with water and a detergent.

David Lilly is a serial entrepreneur who founded Edinburgh-based For Spills in 2017.

The company has already sold more than 2.6 million of its spill and leak kits to supermarket giant Tesco and last year it won a multi-year supply contract. The chain uses the kits to deal with customer spills and chiller cabinet leaks.

After raising seed investment of £1.5 million, For Spills explored diverse particle sizes and properties of absorbent materials to maximise liquid, semi-liquid, oil and grease absorption and removal. The team identified a particular particle range of a unique material that effectively strips oil and grease from surfaces. The venture subsequently secured a worldwide patent that covers the application of this particle range for removing oil and grease from floors.

According to the firm, a single 500ml sachet of Greasebuster eliminates the need for 16 litres of freshwater, reduces cleaning time by 20 minutes and saves nearly three kilowatts of electricity

David Lilly, a serial entrepreneur who founded For Spills in 2017, said having secured contracts with key operators in three target markets - supermarkets, restaurants and hospitals - the business is confident its technology can revolutionise cleaning procedures in commercial and public service settings.

He said: “Our products address multiple problems that have long impacted conventional spill and grease management, that rely heavily on water, detergents, and disposable materials and which never worked that well. As well as making spills in high traffic areas instantly safer, they speed up the cleaning process in simpler and more cost effective ways.

“Absorbing spills and removing slip hazards are incredibly important from a health, safety and hygiene perspective in food service sectors and one of our products also absorbs and disinfects bio-hazardous spills, which is essential in clinical settings.

“By eliminating water use, minimising use of chemicals, and reducing the generation of plastic waste materials, the products have a lower CO2 footprint and are also far less energy intensive than existing cleaning methods, which is an essential consideration for companies and organisations in managing their environmental impact.”

Lilly added: “The problem of dealing with spills is a huge one for the supermarkets who don’t use our products, which routinely pay out several millions of pounds per year in damages to customers who have suffered slips and falls.”