Shawn Forsythe
RIP
Choosing the right rinse.
Twenty years ago plain hot water was considered the ultimate rinse agent for carpet cleaning, and a touch of an acid, near any acid, was used as a soure to correct pH. However, in the last eight or so years, almost every cleaning chemical manufacturer has been busy refining products to perform a combination of rinse aid and acid pH correction.
Still today, many will purport that using plain water works best. Indeed it may be true if, and only if the prespray, or anything else in the carpet at the time of the rinse procedure is water rinse-able, with the small amount of water desirable for this procedure. Carpet manufacturers recommendations, the standard of care, and the science of carpet cleaning all tells us that we should minimize the amount of water to prevent over wetting, especially the backing. Over wetting causes backing degradation, increased dry times due to trapped moisture not extracted, and can cause wicking of soils embedded past the face yarns. Pre-conditioners, such as traffic lane cleaners, typically contain high HLB balance emulsifiers to accomplish emulsification, and actually rely on the lower HLB emulsifiers in either alkaline or acidic "rinse" cleaners or emulsifiers to couple the preconditioner surfactants to the aqueous rinse solution. That being the case, water alone is a poor rinse choice in most cases. The lone exceptions are either preconditioners that specifically designed for water rinsing, which also means that it is a poor oil/grease emulsifier, and rare in this industry. Granted, the so-called "soap free" products usually meet this criteria, but are also low performance when used as a grease/oil cutting prespray.
The typical carpet cleaning scenario usually means the operator is using one favorite prespray that covers a wide variety of cleaning situations, from mildly dirty to downright filthy. Then in this same scenario, the carpet cleaner wants to remove the emulsified soiling, while using minimal effort, time and moisture to get the job done. Also we've been taught that in using the high-powered surfactant preconditioner, usually with an elevated pH, that we also want to leave the carpet in a favorable pH state closer to neutra, maybe even slightly acidic for dye and protectant stability.
The problem is, not very many of them really address the core issues with a degree of balance. An “Acid Rinse” implies two basic characteristics; that the product acts as a rinse agent AND also be an acid soure, presumable for pH correction. Since soils are generally acidic, alkaline cleaners are generally used to take advantage of opposing chemistry to interact with these soils rendering them more easily removed by water flushing/vacuum extraction. However, potential alkaline residues have their own problem. They generally impart a stiffness and a residue of their own which leaves the fiber with a negative perception of clean. These same cleaning agents also use aggressive surfactants designed to break down and emulsify oily soils. These same surfactants, which do such a great job of degreasing, exhibit negative characteristics if not completely rinsed. They are generally soil attracting or “sticky”, which also certainly contradicts the perception of “clean”. Moreover, the better a surfactant is at oil emulsification, the more water, hot or cold, it takes to rinse said surfactant. Enter “Fiber Rinses”. The ideal product aids water in surfactant rinsibility, as well as a soureing agent to impart pH correction/alkaline rinsing.
Choosing the right rinse from the products on the market means taking a look at the effectiveness of the product to perform its dual function in an efficient manner, as well as not leaving a residue itself which has negative properties. Certain acids can actually contribute to resoiling, or interact with other cleaning compounds already in the fiber to create negative residues. Often it is complex organic acids, such as citric acid or gluconic acid, which have been used unsuccessfully in rinse products. The best “candidates” for correction include hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, phosphoric, sulfuric, sulfamic and nitric acids. However, from this list, sulfamic has the mild chemical properties, for fibers, ecology and safety, which seem to make for a prudent product overall. Others may find this conclusion subjective, though. Next, a good rinse aid additive is paramount. One that will not leave a negative residue, but will make for a marked reduction in water needed to rinse sticky surfactant residues. The reduction of water is important insofar as using copious amounts of water can lead to problems in dry times as well as carpet construction degradation. Seemingly paradoxically, it is a specialty type of surfactant that works best to aid water in rinse-ability of bad (sticky type) surfactant residue. This class of surfactant is not generally used for cleaning soils, but as a specialty rinse aid. The very best in this class dry to a free flowing powder at normal room humidity levels, permitting vacuuming of the inevitable trace amounts left behind. Among the very worst choice for a rinse aid surfactant is a touch of the same surfactant types that you are trying to rinse out in the first place. Believe it or not, it is quite commonplace for chemical manufacturers to put exactly the same surfactant they use in their cleaning agents as they put in their rinse! That is, if they even address the rinse-aid issue at all. Alternatively, many of the supposed rinse products are nothing more than soure agents simply relabeled as rinses to join the bandwagon. It is this very bad sort of marketing, which has been responsible for some people’s reluctance to try good rinse products when they see in their prior attempts, that plain hot water worked just as well for them.
Now here’s the really difficult part. Talking to salespeople about the chemical attributes of their available rinses to find the ones with the right properties, or close ones to maximize your efficiency in the application of these products. You have to ask really pointed questions. “What acid is in this product, and why?” as well as; “What does the product have to rinse surfactant residues?”
If customers push their suppliers for answers that really work, that will force them to find out what they might not know. Moreover, the low quality of some of the poorer rinse products will be pushed by demand for better products, and the relative inferior nature of plain water will shown more clearly.
I didn't write this to sell product, nor did I even name any, but in an effort to harbor people to contemplate the truth. Ask questions. If you get the right answers, give them a try. You will be pleasantly surprised by the increase in the quality of your work, and so will your customer.
Twenty years ago plain hot water was considered the ultimate rinse agent for carpet cleaning, and a touch of an acid, near any acid, was used as a soure to correct pH. However, in the last eight or so years, almost every cleaning chemical manufacturer has been busy refining products to perform a combination of rinse aid and acid pH correction.
Still today, many will purport that using plain water works best. Indeed it may be true if, and only if the prespray, or anything else in the carpet at the time of the rinse procedure is water rinse-able, with the small amount of water desirable for this procedure. Carpet manufacturers recommendations, the standard of care, and the science of carpet cleaning all tells us that we should minimize the amount of water to prevent over wetting, especially the backing. Over wetting causes backing degradation, increased dry times due to trapped moisture not extracted, and can cause wicking of soils embedded past the face yarns. Pre-conditioners, such as traffic lane cleaners, typically contain high HLB balance emulsifiers to accomplish emulsification, and actually rely on the lower HLB emulsifiers in either alkaline or acidic "rinse" cleaners or emulsifiers to couple the preconditioner surfactants to the aqueous rinse solution. That being the case, water alone is a poor rinse choice in most cases. The lone exceptions are either preconditioners that specifically designed for water rinsing, which also means that it is a poor oil/grease emulsifier, and rare in this industry. Granted, the so-called "soap free" products usually meet this criteria, but are also low performance when used as a grease/oil cutting prespray.
The typical carpet cleaning scenario usually means the operator is using one favorite prespray that covers a wide variety of cleaning situations, from mildly dirty to downright filthy. Then in this same scenario, the carpet cleaner wants to remove the emulsified soiling, while using minimal effort, time and moisture to get the job done. Also we've been taught that in using the high-powered surfactant preconditioner, usually with an elevated pH, that we also want to leave the carpet in a favorable pH state closer to neutra, maybe even slightly acidic for dye and protectant stability.
The problem is, not very many of them really address the core issues with a degree of balance. An “Acid Rinse” implies two basic characteristics; that the product acts as a rinse agent AND also be an acid soure, presumable for pH correction. Since soils are generally acidic, alkaline cleaners are generally used to take advantage of opposing chemistry to interact with these soils rendering them more easily removed by water flushing/vacuum extraction. However, potential alkaline residues have their own problem. They generally impart a stiffness and a residue of their own which leaves the fiber with a negative perception of clean. These same cleaning agents also use aggressive surfactants designed to break down and emulsify oily soils. These same surfactants, which do such a great job of degreasing, exhibit negative characteristics if not completely rinsed. They are generally soil attracting or “sticky”, which also certainly contradicts the perception of “clean”. Moreover, the better a surfactant is at oil emulsification, the more water, hot or cold, it takes to rinse said surfactant. Enter “Fiber Rinses”. The ideal product aids water in surfactant rinsibility, as well as a soureing agent to impart pH correction/alkaline rinsing.
Choosing the right rinse from the products on the market means taking a look at the effectiveness of the product to perform its dual function in an efficient manner, as well as not leaving a residue itself which has negative properties. Certain acids can actually contribute to resoiling, or interact with other cleaning compounds already in the fiber to create negative residues. Often it is complex organic acids, such as citric acid or gluconic acid, which have been used unsuccessfully in rinse products. The best “candidates” for correction include hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, phosphoric, sulfuric, sulfamic and nitric acids. However, from this list, sulfamic has the mild chemical properties, for fibers, ecology and safety, which seem to make for a prudent product overall. Others may find this conclusion subjective, though. Next, a good rinse aid additive is paramount. One that will not leave a negative residue, but will make for a marked reduction in water needed to rinse sticky surfactant residues. The reduction of water is important insofar as using copious amounts of water can lead to problems in dry times as well as carpet construction degradation. Seemingly paradoxically, it is a specialty type of surfactant that works best to aid water in rinse-ability of bad (sticky type) surfactant residue. This class of surfactant is not generally used for cleaning soils, but as a specialty rinse aid. The very best in this class dry to a free flowing powder at normal room humidity levels, permitting vacuuming of the inevitable trace amounts left behind. Among the very worst choice for a rinse aid surfactant is a touch of the same surfactant types that you are trying to rinse out in the first place. Believe it or not, it is quite commonplace for chemical manufacturers to put exactly the same surfactant they use in their cleaning agents as they put in their rinse! That is, if they even address the rinse-aid issue at all. Alternatively, many of the supposed rinse products are nothing more than soure agents simply relabeled as rinses to join the bandwagon. It is this very bad sort of marketing, which has been responsible for some people’s reluctance to try good rinse products when they see in their prior attempts, that plain hot water worked just as well for them.
Now here’s the really difficult part. Talking to salespeople about the chemical attributes of their available rinses to find the ones with the right properties, or close ones to maximize your efficiency in the application of these products. You have to ask really pointed questions. “What acid is in this product, and why?” as well as; “What does the product have to rinse surfactant residues?”
If customers push their suppliers for answers that really work, that will force them to find out what they might not know. Moreover, the low quality of some of the poorer rinse products will be pushed by demand for better products, and the relative inferior nature of plain water will shown more clearly.
I didn't write this to sell product, nor did I even name any, but in an effort to harbor people to contemplate the truth. Ask questions. If you get the right answers, give them a try. You will be pleasantly surprised by the increase in the quality of your work, and so will your customer.
