Residential vs. Commercial vs. Industrial Cleaning Chemicals

Is there really that big of a difference between the classifications of chemicals? How do the different chemical grades affect the processes?

Household cleaners are the least potent, and often don't do a good job. 

These products, many times, are just a stronger concentrate that has been watered down and individually packaged for sale to unknowing customers. This leads to a less clean, and more expensive result. While these products still have to adhere to government standards, residential strength products do not have to adhere to TGA guidelines.

Commercial cleaners are adequate in many residential applications, despite the vocabulary.

These are products scrutinized under TGA regulations, these are often multiples stronger than their residential counterparts. Additionally, these chemicals may be specifically formulated to deal with a specific type of grime like an oil spill, or remnants from welding. Residential products will rarely even contain the proper chemicals to break down these tough stains and spots. While these products are stronger, they do not typically warrant the same standard of caution needed for industrial grade cleaners.

Industrial cleaners have a firm place in home cleaning, not just factories and large businesses. 

Many industrial cleaners have a pH level that is much higher, or lower, than what is permitted for residential cleaners. This allows them to break down and dissolve dirt and grime that other products simply cannot. Associated with these intensely concentrated chemicals, are their harmful effects. Some chemicals produce gaseous byproducts that are very toxic, carcinogenic, and should only be used in a very open, or well-ventilated space. Other chemicals are so powerful that they need to be wiped off after 2 minutes or they will begin to erode tile and stone slowly. Without proper safety equipment, industrial chemicals are dangerous. Despite the risks however, the industrial tier produces unmatched results when applied correctly.

Proper Procedure: Quicker and Cleaner

 

Plan first! Proper planning eliminates mistakes that can lead to a less clean, and slower result!

The first step of the plan should be ensuring you have brought an adequate chemical inventory required to execute efficiently.
For example, scrubbing an oven without metal cleaner will not only result in a poor cleaning, it will also leave a lackluster shine that could have otherwise been a new lustrous shine. In the kitchen alone there will be 4-5 different cleaning products needed for the best results. The second step in planning should be ensuring you’ve brought the proper tools. After all, an over with the proper chemicals will still result in a less than satisfactory shine. There are 3 brushes that every cleaning crew needs: a nylon brush (for the softer surfaces), a copper brush (for soft metals and hard surfaces), and a stainless-steel brush (for hard metal surfaces). Brushing with a brush that isn’t hard enough will not remove the layer of grime that allows for proper cleaning, and brushing with a tool that’s too hard will scratch up the surface being cleaned.

The last step in executing any good cleaning plan is the application process in which the chemicals and the tools are used. For example, it would be fruitless to wipe down the countertops, before cleaning the top of the fridge and the microwave. This is because you will just end up sweeping dirt and dust back onto the counter from these higher surfaces. A proper order is nearly as important as chemicals and tools.

So many Cleaning Products, Marketing or Necessary?

 So, do you really need 10 different products to get an adequate clean? 

No, just 8 at least. 

If you want to save time, money (slowly eroding your own furnishings will lead to replacing them all together if no care is taken, losing money by proxy), and energy, then yes using a variety of products is the way to ensure a proper clean. In fact, I firmly believe to be fully equipped for a residential clean, 8 products are needed. The pH of the products being used, the chemical profile, the concentration of the chemicals, and the essential additives are all too important to be overlooked.

Each product category listed has a place in every cleaning crew's residential toolkit:

Leather Cleaner: 

-This cleaner needs to be specially formulated for leather to give it a proper shine and be as soft as necessary.

Fabric Cleaner:

-This can be a bit rougher than the leather cleaner, and can be much more fragrant, usually cheaper as well

note: this product can be purchased in non-aerosol versions that reduce potentially harmful side effects

Bleach:

-Powerful cleaning chemical that has many practical applications such as upkeeping a non-smelly drain(s)

Stone Cleaner/Tile Cleaners:

-Cleans off many types of rock, including quartz, and seals it appropriately.

note 1: this product can be purchased in non-aerosol versions that reduce potentially harmful side effects

note 2: there are versions of stone cleaner specifically formulated for tile grout, that brighten up and remove dirt

note 3: these products are not the same as those meant to clean off concrete.

Glass Cleaner:

-These products have the fastest evaporation time, making it perfect for sink handles in addition to any glass in the house. Can be used on glass cleaned by another product after rinsing off, to reduce streaks.

note: this product can be purchased in non-aerosol versions that reduce potentially harmful side effects

Steel Cleaner:

-Properly cleans and seals tough grime baked into metal and caked into the surface infractions 

Rust Remover/Limescale Remover:

-Powerful tool to remove rust, limescale, calcium, and other shower buildup

note 1: this product can be purchased in non-aerosol versions that reduce potentially harmful side effects.

note 2: These products are typically very strong and should be handled carefully

Toilet Cleaner:

-Powerful cleaner for applications on plastic, acrylic, and porcelain. Can be used before glass cleaner if wiped off and rinsed properly

note: this product can be purchased in non-aerosol versions that reduce potentially harmful side effects.

note: These products are typically very strong and should be handled carefully

Chemistry behind your Chemicals: Part 1 - Acid or Base?

 Tile Cleaner, Granite Cleaner, Quartz Cleaner, Steel Cleaner, Glass Cleaner, Wood Cleaner, Leather Cleaner…All can be found in any Walmart cleaning aisle. Are ALL of these necessary? What chemicals are doing the work here, and how does it affect the different marketing of each product?

With so many different products to choose from, it can be hard to know what additional products are necessary to clean well and at what point you’re a victim of clever marketing. 

Most of the different names, categories, and strength of products can be broken down into groups. These groups can be broken down further and classified by potency of different chemicals. 

Typical cleaning products work by being basic or acidic. The more basic or acidic the chemical, the more potent it is. Both categories essentially work the same; breaking down compounds and amalgams that accumulate to become the dirt/grime we observe around an unclean home. The differences come in what materials and surfaces they can damage, or conversely, leave unclean. 

Acids work incredibly well on surfaces like porcelain, acrylic, and plastic. However, they can damage many different surfaces with finishes such as granite, certain tile, hardwood, and almost all types of fabrics. Not all acids are created the same though, and not every product has the same concentration of the same chemicals. An example of this is the retailers’ marketing discrepancies between commercial and industrial, many products use the same chemical profile, but the industrial variants are much more concentrated. Multiple bathroom products contain sulfuric acid, but most contain much lower concentrations than that found in a product line like drain cleaners. Rust remover also contains sulfuric acid, but not as much is needed in a cleaner not used in water. Drain cleaners are instantly diluted by the water in the drains so they need to be much more concentrated. Most products that are used where acidic products should not be, are basic. 

Many people use these different categories seamlessly. For example, the most used fabric spray in America, Lysol, is a base and is subsequently why it’s marketed as a fabric spray. Using Lysol to try and clean a bathtub would be wasteful and perform poorly.

Chemistry behind your Chemicals: Part 2 - How to Avoid Removing Finishes on Your Furnishings

 Does this mean that all you need for a detailed clean is to have an acid, a base, and water?

Well, yes and no, but mostly the latter. 

The problem arises when you’re tasked with cleaning something multiple times using only one of these two. You could take a very powerful acid and strong base and dilute them enough to clean most all surfaces. These chemicals might be formulated strong enough to destroy dirt and grime but may not be formulated to seal/replace/strengthen what it’s being used on. You could simply clean stainless steel with water and a copper brush. This would be a monumental waste of time, energy, and results. The copper brush could lightly scratch the steel if there are inconsistencies in the metal. The scratches are not appealing, and they allow metal surfaces to more easily accumulate dirt in the future. On the other hand, if you had used a proper stainless-steel cleaner, you could have just wiped off the grime or removed it with very little effort. Additionally, stainless steel cleaners are formulated specifically to improve the metal with concentrated mineral oil. This is inside cleaners that properly replenishes the steel and doesn’t allow dust/dirt to settle into the freshly cleaned metal. Likewise, wood cleaners are specially formulated to treat the wood after it is cleaned. These cleaners have chemicals that don’t allow mold to propagate in an environment normally suited for growth. Mold has to compete with other bacteria for energy, so it can easily spread after a fresh, wet clean that isn’t formulated to combat it. 

So while you can dilute stronger chemicals and get a good immediate result, the secondary results are not usually desirable. This does not mean that one can mix chemicals and acquire an effect, unless the person is a professional. Many chemicals mix and have a very toxic reaction. The most infamous among these reactions are ammonia and bleach, producing Chloramine (most commonly known as Mustard Gas). Further, even if one avoids making a toxic gas, they could actually end up dulling the effectiveness of the mixed cleaners. Because chemicals can have certain acidic AND basic properties, the reaction could be unpredictable. Even if someone were to know the basic pH of a chemical, after mixing the result could be totally different. If a very acidic pH 2 were to mix with a very basic pH 10, the result would be a less potent mess. Unless the desired reaction is a World War 2 simulation, I would never advise mixing chemicals.

Cleaning vs. Sanitizing vs. Disinfecting?

 Are companies employing tricky advertising by using each definition? Which one is right for you and your home?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting all have different definitions.

Cleaning: removes germs, dirt, and other impurities from surfaces but doesn't necessarily kill them.

Sanitizing: lowers the number of germs, on surfaces or objects, to a safe level, according to public health standards or requirements. 

Disinfecting: kills 99.9% of germs on surfaces and objects.

In short, no, companies are not dishonestly practicing by using different definitions, this is key in communicating what degree of cleaning or chemical treatment the object/surface is receiving. In fact, a good company will consult with the owner to determine to what degree of cleaning each property will get. 

Each of the three practices have different results and should not be used interchangeably. For example, homes should always be cleaned first if they are receiving either sanitization or disinfection. The chemical treatments for sanitizing and disinfecting (S&D) will be much more efficient if there are not layers of dirt, grime, or dust interfering with the contact to the surface. For most properties, sanitizing is plenty fine to keep bad bacteria and viruses out, leaving some bacteria behind that can aid in building the immune system without exposing the owner to large concentrations of harmful inhabitants. Conversely, if the owner/client is immunocompromised, disinfecting may be required as the bacteria and viruses left behind may still be very harmful. In this case, the total annihilation of the bad inhabitants by industrial/commercial disinfectants would be preferable to leaving behind what could normally be beneficial. 

Properly equipped cleaning companies will both have the materials and resources to clean, sanitize, and disinfect. Additionally, proper safety measures will be put in place to minimize any harmful biproducts from using such potent chemicals.