CLEANABILITY OF SURFACES

1
CLEANABILITY OF SURFACES
M. Hautala, R. Kuisma, E. Pesonen-Leinonen, M.
Koivula, I. Redsven and A-M. Sjöberg Department
of Agricultural Engineering and Household
Technology, University of Helsinki, PB 27, 00014
University of Helsinki, Finland
A practical testing procedure for floor
coverings cleanability and resistance to
chemical and mechanical wear
Cleaning efficiency of mop cloths on floor
coverings
SUMMARY   A procedure for testing the
cleanability and durability of floor coverings
was established. The cleanability of
polyurethane-covered PVC floorings was studied
using an Erichsen washability and scrub tester
with a small microfibre mop. Soil was detected by
the ATP bioluminescence and protein residue
tests. Cleanability studies of polyurethane-covere
d PVC floorings were carried out using different
kinds of cleaning agents and floor polishes and
two types of soil. The durability was assessed as
the resistance to chemical and mechanical stress.
Coverings with a calendered surface were more
cleanable than coverings with a matt surface. The
cleanability of new floor coverings was better
than that of polished ones.
SUMMARY   The cleaning efficiencies of mop cloths
with different surface textures and fibre
compositions were studied using different
cleaning agents. The experiments were performed
on four different surfaces of floor coverings
with and without floor polishes. The results were
based on colorimetric and bioluminometric
measurements. A fleece mop cloth had better
cleaning properties than a yarn mop cloth in
removing both soot-oil soil and blood soil from
the surfaces according to this investigation. The
cleaning efficiency of microfibre cloths was
shown to be same whether plain water or cleaning
agents were used. The efficiency of the
microfibre cloth in the removal of both
oil-pigment and protein soil was better than that
of conventional polyester-viscose cloths.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Table 1. The experimental study and materials.
Mop cloths fleece mop cloth (Fmop ) and yarn mop
cloth (Ymop ) Soils blood soil (B) and soot-oil
soil (SO) plain water (W) and cleaning agents
(A1 and A2) surfaces S1, S2, S3 and S4 without
and with polish P1 and P2. Moisture regains
100, 150 and 200.
) In addition, cleaning agents A3 and A4 were
used for soot-oil soil. ) Moisture regain of
the mop cloth means the moisture content of mop
cloth, and it is determined as a percentage of
the weight of mop cloth measured in room
temperature.
Figure 1. The experimental design of studying the
cleanability and resistance to chemical and
mechanical stress of floor coverings.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Cleanability
Colorimetric measurements
Figure 2. The results of cleanability expressed
as relative light unit values (RLU) of blood- and
food- soiled unpolished floor coverings (S1, S2,
S3 and S4), using the cleaning agents A1, A2, A3
and A4. The error bars are standard deviations.
Figure 1. The cleanability of soot-oil soiled,
polyurethane-coated vinyl surfaces (S1, S2, S3
and S4), when cleaning was performed with fleece
mop cloth and yarn mop cloth using cleaning
agents A1, A2, A3, and A4. The cleanability was
measured colorimetrically.
Chemical resistance
Bioluminometric measurements
Table 1. The results of chemical stress of blood
soil on floor coverings. The results are marked
with numbers from 0 to 4 where 0 not affected,
1very slightly affected, 2slightly affected,
3affected and 4 severely affected
Mechanical stress
Figure 2. The cleanability of soot-oil soiled,
polyurethane-coated vinyl surfaces (S1, S2, S3
and S4), when cleaning was performed with fleece
mop cloth and yarn mop cloth using cleaning
agents A1, A2, A3, and A4. The cleanability was
measured luminometrically.
Figure 3. Abrasion losses (g) of untreated floor
coverings (S1, S2, S3, S4) per 5000 revolutions
in the EN 660-2 test.