Cleaning products play an essential role in our daily lives. By safely and effectively removing soils, germs and other contaminants, they help us to stay healthy, care for our homes and possessions, and make our surroundings more pleasant.
Hard surfaces may be contaminated with a variety of soils: oil (hydrocarbon based grease, oil, etc., or vegetable based (cooking) oils), organic contamination (tree sap, bugs, pollen, etc.), and just plain old dirt.
Typically, after selection of the proper cleaner, the surface is wet down and the detergent is typically applied from the bottom up. This is done to reduce streaking.The chemical is allowed ample time to soak into the soils, then the surfaces is scrubbed or pressure washed clean.
The cleaner evaluation process may also include the type and capacity of the cleaning equipment available to cleaning personnel.Factors that impact cleaner selection include:
- Temperature of the washing system.
- Pressure rating of system.
- Gallons per minute (gpm) output.
Increased temperature of the cleaning solution will always provide enhanced cleaning performance. This is especially true in the colder months when surface temperatures are very cold.Some cleaners simply will not work well in cold ambient temperatures and without hot water washing system.
The pressure rating of the cleaning equipment may be considered when determining cleaner concentration on the surface of the equipment being cleaned.The bond that holds grime in place may be broken by the cleaning chemical and hot water but evacuation off the surface without ample pressure may be difficult.
The volume of water the equipment provides in the rinsing phase may also impact the over-all efficiency of the cleaning operation.Low volume output may require longer rinse time, which equates to higher cleaning labor costs.