Imagine living in a world where tough stains went unmatched, a world where all those pesky grease spots or dirt on clothing were uncleanable – sounds like hell, right? Well, luckily for us, there are so many different cleaning detergents available on the market that all serve specific purposes to help us combat undesirable impurities.
In this blog, we’re going to take a look at four common types of cleaning agents and discuss their uses in your home or workplace. If you’d like a more personalised helping hand in finding the right cleaning detergent for your needs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today!
All-purpose cleaners
All-purpose cleansers are by far the most diverse types of cleaning agents on the market. They contain mixtures of:
- anionic and non-ionic surfactants;
- polymeric phosphates;
- solvents;
- hydrotropic substances;
- polymeric compounds;
- corrosion inhibitors, as well as;
- skin-protective agents, and, in some cases, perfumes and colorants.
Aversive agents such as denatonium, are occasionally added to cleaning products to discourage animals and little children from consuming them. Some cleaners contain water-soluble organic solvents like glycol ethers and fatty alcohols, both of which make the removal of oil, fat and paint a much less laborious task.
All-purpose cleaners are mostly concentrated solutions of surfactants and water softeners that make removing tough stains, regardless of their nature, as easy as spraying and wiping the solution. All-purpose cleansers are effective when used against most kinds of dirt and are safe to be used on most surfaces.
Oven cleaners
Traditional oven cleaners contain sodium hydroxide (lye), as well as solvents and a host of other ingredients – they work best when utilized in a slightly-warm oven. If utilized in a self-cleaning oven however, the lye may cause permanent damage to the oven.
Modern oven cleaners however use ingredients that don’t rely on sodium hydroxide. These products must be utilized in cold ovens though to avoid damage and increase their efficacy; these cleaning detergents can be used in self-cleaning ovens.
Oven cleaners are among some of the most toxic household cleaning detergents available on the market. Using the necessary precaution when handling these detergents is of utmost importance to prevent unnecessary harm.
Glass cleaners
These detergent solutions are composed of organic, water-miscible solvents like isopropanol as well as an alkaline solvent. Some glass cleaners also contain a fine, mild abrasive. Most glass cleaners are available as sprays or liquid and are fairly easy to use with precaution. They’re sprayed directly onto windows, mirrors and other glass surfaces or applied with a soft cloth and rubbed off employing a soft, lint-free duster.
Metal cleaners
Metal cleaners are used for cleaning several kinds of household metal surfaces like chrome steel sinks, faucets, metal trims, silverware, and many more. These products contain abrasives as well as fatty alcohol or alkylphenol polyglycol ethers that are ideal for cleaning metal without damaging the surface.
For ferrous metals, metal cleaners contain chelating agents together with abrasives and surfactants. These nonaggressive agents include citric and phosphoric acids, and are gentle on surfaces.
For nonferrous metal cleaners, ammonia, ammonium soaps (such as ammonium oleate and stearate), as well as chelating agents (such as ammonium citrate and oxalate) are utilised in the solutions.
For high-end precious metals (like those used in luxury watches and expensive jewellery) specialised cleaning agents are used to help protect the metals from harsh elements and unforgiving weather.
If you’d like to learn more about the several types of cleaning detergents available to you, don’t be too shy to reach out to us!