Household Cleaning Agents

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Household Cleaning Agents
- a summary of actions and cautions
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Cleaning Product Families
Commercial Blends
Detergents
Solvents
Household Cleaning Agents
Soaps
Acids
Bases
Abrasives
Bleaches
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Acids

• Acid cleaners
• can be used to remove tarnish, alkaline staining
  and rust from metals, hard water stains from many
  surfaces
• will neutralise bases or alkalis
• may have bleaching effects
• Caution Acids can
• damage eyes, skin, and fabrics
• eat through metal
• scratch surfaces and porcelain enamel

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Bases and Alkalis

• a base is the opposite of an acid
• - the effect of an acid is to increase the
  hydronium ion (H3O) concentration in water
• - the effect of a base is to reduce H3O
  concentration
• bases react with acids to produce water and salts
  (or their solutions) this type of reaction is
  called neutralisation
• a base which is dissolved in water is called an
  alkali
• alkali cleaners get rid of and postpone heavy
  soil and grease so it can be rinsed away
• Caution
• alkalis can harm skin and fabrics, corrode and
  darken aluminium
• most alkalis (except baking soda) are poisonous
  if swallowed

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Bleaches

• Bleaches
• can oxidize and remove stains from surfaces and
  fabrics
• may be used to reduce stains in wood as well as
  remove the colour naturally in woods such as
  mahogany
• Caution clean bleach thoroughly and promptly to
  prevent fading

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Soaps

• Soaps
• anionic surfactants used in conjunction with
  water for washing and cleaning
• come as solid bars or as viscous liquids
• consist of sodium or potassium salts of fatty
  acids
• obtained by reacting common oils or fats with a
  strong alkaline solution (the base, popularly
  referred to as lye) in a process known as
  saponification
• - the fats are hydrolysed by the base,
  yielding alkali salts of fatty acids (crude soap)
  and glycerol
• today, soap is often replaced by other cleaning
  agents, such as synthetic detergents

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Detergents

• Detergents
• can be alkaline/basic (pH gt 7) or neutral (pH
  7)
• - neutral detergents are pH 7 meaning
  neither acidic nor alkaline
• - read the can or bottle to determine how
  alkaline the detergent is
• mild detergents have surfactants that dissolve
  dirt and grease
• strong detergents have both a surfactant and a
  builder, so dissolves heavier soil and grease 
• Caution Most powdered detergents contain washing
  soda as a builder and some are very alkaline
  which can damage surfaces and irritate skin with
  prolonged contact. Strong solutions can dissolve
  paint. Always rinse thoroughly.

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Solvents

• Solvent cleaners are gladly available and are
  often used to dissolve household soil. The
  solvent is often the medium the stain or soil
  goes into to helping its removal.
• Water
• worldwide solvent because it will dissolve most
  kinds of soils except oils
• alkalis, acids, bleaches or detergents are added
  to water to chemically respond with specific
  soils and loosen them so they are removed with
  the water
• prompt sponging with water (if material is water
  safe) will remove many stains without adding
  chemicals

Caution Surfaces damaged by water include
- wood (which warps) - wood finishes
(which soften or turn white) - textiles
(which shrink) - padding (which can be
soaked and will form mildew) - materials
that soften or disintegrate in water (such as
paper) - electrical components (which may
cause electrical shock hazards)
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Abrasives

• Abrasive cleaners are mechanical cleaners. They
  
• physically scratch off dirt, stains and tarnish
  by the friction caused as you rub the surface 
• are composed of either particles or physical
  abraders such as sandpaper, steel wool or
  scrubbing pads
• - the finer the particle, the less abrasive
  e.g. baking soda
• - the coarser the particle, the more abrasive
  e.g. salt
• change both the reflection from, and texture of,
  surfaces e.g. they dull glossy surfaces

Caution should never be used on mica because
they take away top layers making future cleaning
eventually impossible
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Cleaning Products Table