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FACTS ABOUT HOUSEHOLD CLEANING

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Types of Household Cleaners ... Continued


SPECIALTY CLEANERS

Specialty cleaning products have a narrower spectrum of uses than all-purpose products. They are designed for specific surfaces, such as glass, bathroom surfaces, ovens, drains, metal, floors, carpets, furniture and upholstery, and the soils that usually collect on these surfaces. By concentrating on specific conditions, specialty products can deliver optimum performance and convenience.

KITCHEN, BATHROOM, GLASS AND METAL CLEANERS

Bleaches Use of liquid household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) for removing stains on fabrics is well known. Sodium hypochlorite is similarly effective on stains found on hard surfaces. In addition, it can be used as a disinfectant to kill bacteria, viruses and fungi, including molds and mildew.

Disinfectants and Disinfectant Cleaners Disinfectants contain antimicrobial agents, such as pine oil, sodium hypochlorite, quaternary ammonium compounds or phenols, that kill bacteria and viruses on surfaces. A surface should be free of heavy soil for effective disinfection.

Disinfectant cleaners contain surfactants and builders to remove soil in addition to antimicrobial agents to kill germs. Therefore, they are effective at cleaning surfaces as well as killing germs. Label instructions must be followed to assure disinfectancy.

In order to make disinfectancy claims, disinfectant products must be tested for efficacy and registered with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Drain Openers Today, drain opening products fall into two categories. The newer category includes maintenance products or "buildup removers"; the second category includes traditional drain openers.

Buildup removers are liquids formulated to prevent the grease and soap scum buildup which causes clogged drains. They contain enzymes or a culture of bacteria which produces enzymes. The enzymes break down and digest organic materials, such as grease, that accumulate in pipes. Buildup removers can be used on an ongoing basis to keep drains free flowing.

For opening clogged drains, a traditional drain opener may be required. Drain openers are chemically strong liquid or crystal products formulated for this demanding job. Clogged kitchen drains are often caused by plugs of solid grease which may have all types of materials imbedded in them, obstructing the free flow of water, Sodium hydroxide is often used to generate heat to melt fat and break it down to simpler substances that can be rinsed away. Some products also contain agents to produce gas which provides agitation in the drain, a further help in opening drains.

Clogged bathroom drains are often caused by hair, soap particles, toothpaste or combinations of these materials, On these problems, liquid drain openers containing sodium hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide can work well.

Glass Cleaners Glass cleaners are designed to clean glass surfaces without streaking or leaving any residual soil or product. Liquid glass cleaners are available in bottles with trigger sprays or in aerosol containers.

The products contain surfactants to loosen soil, solvents to dissolve oily soils, and water as the medium to carry surfactants and solvents. Builders are included to remove heavier soils, especially oily soils. Alkaline builders, such as ammonia, are more effective on acidic soils like body oils or cooking grease. Acetic acid (vinegar) provides better performance on alkaline soils like mineral salts.

The spraying arrangement, a pump or a pressurized aerosol container, helps in applying product across the surface to be cleaned, assures uniform distribution and minimizes product waste.

Opaque creamy glass cleaners contain surfactants and solvents. They also contain colloidal clays and silica, which absorb soil and dry after spreading. Any remaining dried solid shows areas that need to be wiped.

Glass and Multi-surface Cleaners These cleaners function as effective cleaners on a variety of kitchen surfaces and have the additional feature of being non-streaking on glass. The unique combination of surfactants, solvents, mild alkalis and builders provides the non-streaking characteristic.

Hard Water Mineral Removers Water hardness is caused by the presence of dissolved mineral salts, such as those of calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese. When hard water evaporates, a mineral deposit is left behind which can build up over time. Hard water mineral removers are formulated to remove such deposits.

These products come as powders or as liquids with push-pull tops or trigger sprays. They contain acids, such as citric, oxalic, sulfamic or hydroxyacetic acid, to dissolve minerals, limescale and rust. Some include surfactants to aid in cleaning and organic solvents to help remove soap scum.

Mineral removers are effective where mineral deposits are visible - around faucets, shower doors, and in tea kettles, humidifiers and toilet bowls. Their regular use helps prevent mineral deposit buildup.

Metal Cleaners and Polishes Metalware presents a special cleaning problem, tarnish (the oxidation of metal), which is the principal soil to be removed. Metal cleaning products are sold as pastes, thick opaque liquids or clear liquids which may hold a fine abrasive in suspension.

Surface impurities on most metals are removed more easily in an acidic medium. Metal cleaning products, therefore, usually contain organic acids, such as oxalic, sulfuric or citric. To aid in mechanical removal of tarnish and soil and contribute to metallic luster, a very mild abrasive is present as a polishing/buffering agent. Clay-like materials, such as kaopolite or finely divided hydrous silica, are common mild abrasives used.

Metal cleaning formulations may also contain surfactants for ease of spreading the product as well as an aid in soil removal. Some products also contain an antioxidant, which protects the cleaned metalware against rapid retarnishing.

Oven Cleaners These generally are liquids that are packaged in aerosol containers. Charred grease and other food components make up the soils deposited on oven walls. For most oven cleaners designed to work in a cold oven, strong ingredients are necessary to remove burned-on soils. A strong alkali, like sodium hydroxide (lye), is the principal agent in such oven cleaning products. During use, the alkali converts the grease to soap,

Another product type uses a combination of less alkaline salts plus oven heat to aid soil removal. Surfactant is also present to help penetrate soil and wet the surface.

Oven cleaners are formulated to be as thick as possible to allow the product to cling to the soiled, greasy, vertical oven surfaces.

Shower Cleaners - Daily Daily shower cleaners are formulated to prevent build up of soap scum, mildew stains and hard water deposits without rinsing, wiping or scrubbing, and without leaving a dull residue or streaks.

Daily shower cleaners are available as liquids in trigger spray bottles. The products contain surfactants to help clean and prevent soap scum and hard water deposits and to aid water in sheeting off shower surfaces. Some products contain builders or chelates, and alcohol or solvents to assist in the continual cleaning process. Some also contain antimicrobial agents to kill germs, including mold and mildew. All the daily shower cleaners contain fragrance.

Daily shower cleaners are safe to use on many shower and tub surfaces. However, some products may not be suitable for marble, some plastics or other surfaces; read the product label for specific information. Mist shower surfaces right after showering while the walls are wet and warm. No further scrubbing, wiping or rinsing is required - simply spray and walk away. For best results, start with a clean shower. If the shower is soiled, it will take two to four weeks to remove pre-existing shower deposits.

Toilet Bowl Cleaners This category comprises many product forms. Whatever the form, the products are designed to maintain a clean and pleasant smelling toilet bowl. Some products also disinfect.

Included in this category are thickened liquids that cling to the sides of the toilet bowl, fresheners that keep the bowl smelling fresh, and various forms of in-tank cleaners that release active ingredients into the bowl with each flush of the toilet.

Surfactants plus oxidants or acids are the primary ingredients for soil removal, The presence of acids or sequestrants facilitates removal of stains caused by hard water deposits and iron. Specific organic stains are cleaned by oxidizing agents present in some products. Toilet bowl cleaners with disinfecting action contain antimicrobial agents, such as quaternary ammonium salts.

To dissolve stubborn rust and hard water stains, some products may contain strong acids, such as hydrochloric acid. Products containing sodium hypochlorite as the oxidizing agent also include alkalis, such as sodium hydroxide, sodium metasilicate or sodium carbonate. Most toilet bowl cleaners contain a pleasing fragrance.

Because of the incompatible nature of these products, manufacturers often warn the consumer not to mix them with other cleaning products.

Tub, Tile and Sink Cleaners These specialty products are formulated to remove not only the normal soils found on bathroom and kitchen surfaces, but also hard water deposits, soap scum, rust stains and discolorations due to mold growth, which are common to these areas.

Tub, tile and sink cleaners are usually liquids. They are marketed as dilutable liquids, trigger sprays and aerosols. Because many soiled surfaces are vertical, some sprays are dispensed as foams to prevent excessively fast run-off of the cleaning product.

Almost universally, such cleaners contain surfactants to penetrate and loosen soil. In addition, they may contain special sequestering agents and specific solvents to dissolve and keep calcium (hardness) deposits, soap scum and metal discolorations in solution.

Products designed to remove mildew stains may also contain an oxidant, such as sodium hypochlorite, antimicrobial agents to attack mold and mildew, and alkaline ingredients, such as sodium carbonate, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide.

Depending on the soil, both acidic and alkaline conditions promote cleaning. Tub, tile and sink cleaners which target soap scum and water hardness deposits may contain acids, such as hydroxyacetic or sulfamic acids, in addition to the ingredients mentioned above.


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