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Acidic
A substance
that has a pH less than 5 and has a low concentration of hydroxyl ions
(OH-).
Adsorption
To
take up or in by chemical or molecular action.
Alkaline
A substance
that has a pH greater than 9 and has a low concentration of hydrogen
ions (H+).
Alkaline
Cleaner
A cleaner
that has a pH higher than 9. This would include all purpose cleaners,
degreasers and strippers.
Alkaline
Residue
A white
powdery residue that is left on a surface after using a highly alkaline
detergent.
All
Purpose Cleaner
Mildly alkaline
cleaners that can be used on almost any hard surface and usually will
not harm the surface.
Anionic
A surfactant
whose surface active portion bears a negative charge. Used frequently
in the I & I market for carpet and hard surface care, personal care
and laundry care products.
Backing
Material
used to form the base of the carpeting into which the pile is attached.
Polypropylene and jute are common backings.
Bleeding
The transfer
of color from one section of the carpet to another. Bleeding usually
takes place in the presence of moisture and/or chemicals.
Bonnet
A specialized
cleaning pad made of terry cloth or other absorbent material that is
attached to a rotary (swing) machine and "run over" the carpet
to agitate the pile and absorb soil. Especially useful in high traffic
areas where dry time is critical.
Browning
A common
yellowish-brown discoloration of carpet that is caused by overwetting
and/or overuse of chemicals, especially high alkaline formulations.
Most common in natural fibers such as cotton and jute.
Builder
Alkaline
materials added to detergents to upgrade and protect the cleaning ability
of its surfactants. Silicates, phosphates, carbonates and borax are
all examples of builders.
Carpet
Tabs
Small
pieces of plastic that are placed under furniture legs after cleaning
to prevent rust stains from forming on the carpet.
Cationic
A surfactant
whose surface-active portion bears a positive charge. Used frequently
in the I & I market for quaternary disinfectants, including carpet
sanitizers.
Caustic
(n)
Any strong
alkaline material which has a corrosive effect on living tissue and
soft metals.
Chelating
Agent
Pronounced
key-late; from the Greek word claw. Used in detergents to tie
up hard water ions (calcium and magnesium) and also to remove soap scum
and hard water film from surfaces.
Clarity
The
clearness of a liquid product or film.
Cloud
Point
The temperature
limit of nonionic surfactants. This is the temperature at which a surfactant
drops out of solution causing the solution to become turbid (cloudy).
Surfactant activity and surfactant performance are usually greatest
just below the cloud point.
Colorfast
The
ability of carpet fiber to hold its coloration (dye).
Compatible
Capable
of being used together in a product and having no undesirable effects.
CRI
Carpet
& Rug Institute. To visit the CRI web site, click
here.
Defoamer
A chemical
(usually a silicone emulsion) that is added to the recovery tank of
an extractor to reduce and/or eliminate foam.
Detergent
Cleaning
solutions that consist of water and one or more of the following ingredients:
Surfactants, builders, solvents, chelating agents and soap.
Dry
Cleaning Solvent
A
waterless chemical spotter that is used to primarily remove petroleum
stains such as grease, lipstick and oil.
Dry
Foam
A method
of carpet cleaning in which a high-foaming detergent that contains very
little water is applied to the carpet through a dry foam machine or
brush. After application, the carpet is vacuumed.
Emulsion
A mixture
of liquids that do not dissolve in each other, such as water and d-Limonene.
One of the components will form small droplets in the other with the
help of detergents. These systems are usually cloudy or opaque in appearance.
Extraction
Method
of carpet cleaning in which a cleaning solution is injected into the
carpet and the soiled solution is quickly vacuumed back into the extraction
machine.
Hard
Water
Water,
which contains the ions of magnesium and calcium. When hard water is
used in a cleaning system, insoluble materials may form. This is called
a precipitate. Hard water is usually expressed in parts per million
or grains. 1 grain hard water = 18 PPM hard water.
Homogenous
A uniform
structure or composition throughout. Having the same properties throughout.
Hydroflouric
Acid
One of
the strongest and most corrosive acids known. Sometimes used to remove
tough rust stains from carpeting.
Hydrotrope
An important
ingredient used in developing highly alkaline or acidic products. The
hydrotrope stabilizes other surfactants used in the cleaner so they
remain soluble, thus allowing the cleaner to remain clear and stable.
M.S.D.S.
Material
Safety Data Sheet. Required for all products. It lists hazardous ingredients
for a particular compound and also details safety precautions and first
aid information.
Neutral
Neither
acid nor alkaline. Neutral generally means pH in the 5.0 to 9.0 range,
but true neutral is pH 7.0.
Neutral
Cleaner
A
cleaning product that has a pH near 7.0. They are recommended for daily
use on finished floors or alkaline-sensitive floors like marble because
of their non-harmful effects on the finish or flooring.
Neutralize
To change
the pH of a substance to 7. Either raising the pH of an acid or lowering
that of a base.
Nonionic
A type
of surfactant whose surface-active portion bears no apparent ionic charge.
Commonly used in heavy-duty cleaners and degreasers.
Non-Volatile
Solids
Measured
in percentage, they are the materials that are left when all water and
other solvents are driven off a cleaner in an oven.
Nylon
A carpet
fiber that is common in both commercial and residential applications.
It is very durable, resilient and soil-resistant. Nylon stains fairly
easily and dries slowly after cleaning.
Odor
Digester
A special
chemical which contains enzyme-producing bacteria that actually digests
organic spills and stains from carpeting such as vomit, urine and feces.
Olefin
A carpet
fiber that is common in commercial applications. It is naturally stain,
fade and moisture-resistant and is extremely colorfast. It cleans easily
and dries fast.
Optical
Brighteners
A substance
that absorbs UV light sources and emits only visible light, which gives
a brightening effect. Some years back they were heavily used in carpet
cleaning formulations. Most of today's carpet products do not contain
brighteners.
Oxalic
Acid
An
odorless, colorless corrosive solid that is sometimes used to remove
rust stains from carpeting using a 10% solution.
pH
The measure of hydroxyl (OH-) or hydrogen
(H+) ions in a solution. Acids contain varying levels of hydrogen ions,
bases contain hydroxyl ions. A pH of 7 is neutral, but for cleaning
purposes, a pH of 5-9 is considered to be in the “neutral”
range. Below 5 is acidic and greater than 9 is alkaline.
Pile
The surface
yarns of carpet that are secured on top of the carpet backing. This
is the "visible" portion of the carpet that is exposed to
wear.
Pile
Lifter
A tool
used before cleaning to straighten the carpet pile and remove embedded
dirt.
Polyester
A carpet
fiber that is naturally stain and fade-resistant and is very "soft".
Polyester is not as resilient as nylon and therefore is used infrequently
for commercial applications.
Precipitate
To
cause a solid substance to be separated from solution.
Preservative
Used in
cleaners, especially neutral cleaners, to retard the growth of bacteria
and other "spoilage" organisms.
Pretreat
A chemical
that is spray-applied to carpeting prior to extraction. It can be lightly
applied to the entire area and extracted with rinse agent or it can
be applied to traffic lanes and spots only, then extracted with detergent
or bonnet cleaned.
Rotary Cleaning
A
deep cleaning method that uses a rotary machine, brush and shampoo to
scrub the carpet. Works best when followed with an extraction using
Extraction Rinse.
Saponification
The act
of soap-making. Specifically refers to the neutralization of fats by
alkalis. When cleaning a surface that contains food fats with a caustic
degreaser, one cleaning mechanism that occurs during this process is
saponification.
Sequestering Agent
An
ingredient that holds metal ions (usually hard water) in solution. Chelating
agents and phosphates are two examples of sequesterants.
Shelf Life
The length
of time an unopened product will remain unchanged in its container after
packaging.
Soap
A natural
cleaning and emulsifying agent made by mixing an alkali with fat or
fatty acids.
Solids
All the
materials in a cleaner that remain after all water and solvents have
been removed.
Solubility
The amount
of a substance that will dissolve in a given amount of another substance.
For example, mixing an all purpose cleaner with water leads to 100%
solubility of the cleaner.
Solution
A single,
homogenous liquid that is a mixture in which the components are uniformly
distributed throughout.
Solvent
A liquid
that is capable of dissolving another substance. Water, butyl, mineral
spirits, d-Limonene and isopropanol are all examples of solvents commonly
used in our industry.
Stain-Resistant Fiber
A modern fiber that is
used in most residential environments but seldom commercially. It is
nylon carpet that is treated with anionic stain-blocking
agents.
Surfactant
Surface
active agents. Organic compounds consisting of two parts: a water-attracting
(hydrophilic) portion and a water-resistant (hydrophobic) portion. Detergents
may contain more than one kind of surfactant. The hydrophobic ends attach
themselves to the soil particles or to the fabrics being washed while
the hydrophilic ends are attracted to the water. The surfactant molecules
surround the soil particles, break them up, force them away from the
surface of the fabric, and then suspend the soil particles in the wash
water. Surfactants are classified by their ionic (electrical charge)
properties in water and fall into one of four groups:
Nonionic, anionic, cationic
or amphoteric.
Synergistic
When in
a solution, the effects of the combined individual ingredients are greater
than if they were by themselves.
Traffic
Lane
Sections
of carpet that receive the most use and wear (hallways, steps, walkways
and entranceways) and require frequent vacuuming and cleaning to maintain
appearance.
Traffic Lane Cleaner
See Pretreat.
Truck
Mount
A specialized
extraction unit mounted in a van that produces high heat and a large
amount of pressure and vacuum to deep clean carpets.
V.O.C.
Volatile
Organic Compounds. This is a measure of the non-water solvents that
are in a particular product.
Viscosity
In simple
terms it refers to how thick or thin a product is. In actual terms,
it's the internal resistance of two liquid layers to flow across each
other. This internal resistance is a result of interaction between liquid
molecules in motion.
Wicking
See
Bleeding.
Wool
A beautiful,
natural carpet fiber that is seldom used commercially and has lost favor
to nylon residentially over the past three decades. Wool is not exceptionally
stain or soil-resistant and should only be cleaned with neutral pH detergents.
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