Key Takeaways
Household and cleaning products are shrink wrapped in three ways: one bottle at a time for protection and tamper evidence, grouped into twin packs, multipacks and promotional bundles, or bundled on a tray or pad for transit. An L-bar sealer with a shrink tunnel suits single units and small multipacks at small to medium volumes, a sleeve sealer and tunnel bundles bottles and bulk multipacks, and a side bar sealer suits longer products and continuous runs. The film is usually polyolefin for retail packs and polyethylene for heavier bundles. Compare the machines on the shrink wrap machines page.
Four machines wrap household and cleaning products: L-bar sealer, side bar sealer, sleeve sealer and standalone shrink tunnel.
Most household and cleaning products that are sold in a bottle, a box or a bar can be shrink wrapped. That includes dishwashing liquid, surface and floor cleaners, bleach, disinfectants, spray bottles, liquid and powder detergents, bars of soap sold in multipacks, and sponges. What changes from product to product is not whether shrink wrap works but how the pack is made up: a single unit, a multipack or a transit bundle.
Single cleaning bottles are shrink wrapped on an L-bar sealer and shrink wrap machine with a shrink tunnel. The L-bar seals and trims the film around one bottle, and the tunnel shrinks it tight. The wrap adds hygiene and tamper evidence, and because the film is sealed all the way round, it keeps a leaking bottle from spilling onto the rest of the shelf or the load. Floor cleaners, disinfectants and detergents are commonly wrapped this way.
Cleaning product multipacks are made by grouping twin packs, three-packs or bulk bundles and shrink wrapping them into one unit. Bottle multipacks run on a sleeve sealer and shrink tunnel, which bundles the group and holds it tight; small multipacks and soap bars in multipacks suit an L-bar sealer. Multipacks are the usual format for promotions and for wholesale, because shrink wrap keeps the pack uniform and easy to handle. See also how multipacks and promotional packs are shrink wrapped.
For warehousing and distribution, cleaning products are grouped on a tray or pad and shrink wrapped into a transit bundle. The film locks the bottles together so they do not move against each other, which reduces leaks and damage and makes the bundles stronger to stack. On longer products or continuous lines, a side bar sealer seals packs as they move, and automatic shrink wrapping can be integrated into an existing filling and labelling line.
Polyolefin and polyethylene are the films most used for cleaning products. Polyolefin is clear and strong for retail packs and multipacks, polyethylene is thicker for heavier transit bundles, and PVC is a budget option for light packs. Clear film keeps the brand and the safety labels visible. Many shrink films can be down-gauged to use less plastic, and recyclability depends on the film type and on local recycling facilities, so confirm the film specification with your supplier.
Shrink wrapping household and cleaning products comes down to the pack: an L-bar sealer for single units and small multipacks, a sleeve sealer for bottle bundles, and a side bar sealer for long products and continuous lines, with polyolefin or polyethylene film. Send us your products, the pack you want and your volume, and we will specify the machine. Compare all four machines on the shrink wrap machines page, and the shrink wrap machine cost guide explains what moves the figure.
Yes. The film wraps the sealed container rather than the chemical itself, so the choice of film is about strength and clarity. Shrink wrap is widely used on household chemicals, detergents and disinfectants, and a fully sealed wrap helps contain a leak if a bottle fails.
Yes. Automatic shrink wrapping machines can be integrated at the end of an existing filling and labelling line, so packs are wrapped as they come off the line. Semi-automatic machines suit lower volumes where packs are loaded by hand.
Many shrink films are recyclable, depending on the material and on local recycling facilities. Polyolefin and polyethylene can also be down-gauged to use less plastic. Confirm the film specification with your supplier before you commit to a film.
Send us your products, the pack you want and your volume, and we will specify the shrink wrap machine that suits it, with installation by our own technicians, a one-year warranty, CE marked machines and spares held in Johannesburg. You can also send samples and we will trial-wrap them at our Johannesburg showroom before you buy.
