Home cleaning and cleaning agents

 

businesswomen. The little time left for them is better spent in bringing up children and tending$ important family affairs and social activities. Maids cannot respond to the

 

 
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Home cleaning and cleaning agents
 

I have so far written in this journal a series of four articles on hospital cleaning followed by four articles on Cleaning of Heritage Buildings.

Now it is the turn of the most basic place affecting all people, namely the home. However, I must admit it is extremely difficult to address all homes in the Middle East. This is because there are two distinct classes; those in small rural towns and villages and those in urban cities and centers of relative affluence. Rural homes are overwhelmingly in dire conditions, lacking basic health amenities including hygienic potable water, sewage disposal and more basic sanitary conveniences.

Many people make their own houses out of mud and other available materials in their localities. Three out of ten people in rural areas defecate in the open; improved sanitation facilities should ensure hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact. The lack of trust among rural people in the benefit of good hygiene is largely based on the confusion of cause and effect. Cleanliness requires enlightened citizenry, but the high level of illiteracy makes the requirement for such enlightenment impossible to satisfy. People living in such an environment are in urgent need of communal public amenities so that they can enjoy the minimum basic requirements of decent human life. It is the responsibility of municipalities, local governments and the central governments to introduce such basic requirements.

This article is a priori directed towards urban citizens.
The emancipation of Middle Eastern Women during the twentieth century led to an ever-increasing numbers joining the work forces; doctors, nurses, teachers, civil-servants, and businesswomen. The little time left for them is better spent in bringing up children and tending$ important family affairs and social activities. Maids cannot respond to the home-cleaning demand since they have taken on the role of nannies, cooks or attendants.

In view of such a situation, market principles got to work and many small and medium-sized businesses sprang to cater to home cleaning. Unfortunately, most of them restrict their role to sending manual labourers who conduct cleaning in the inherited age-old manner; their procedures are no more than sweeping, dusting and wiping.

Urban homes have become larger and have improved in architectural sophistication. They are full of modern furniture and up-to-date equipment and utilities that require knowledgeable cleaning techniques and good attention to hygiene. I strongly believe that these home-cleaning enterprises should pay greater attention to cleaning methods that can deliver cleanliness, hygiene and care of home equipment and furniture. Education and training of their designated labourers is a must.

This article is intended to offer basic knowledge on such subjects as soaps,disinfectants and germicides together with some information on the active ingredients of commercially available cleaning materials. Trainers need not concentrate on the scientific aspects that are only included to offer the reader a complete coverage of the subject.

Surfactants
The name surfactant stands for surface active agent. They have a distinct molecular structure that give rise to their properties. A surfactant molecule is said to have a “head” and a “tail”. The head is hydrophilic which means that is water-loving and it is generally depicted as a circle. The tail is generally a long hydrocarbon chain and is hydrophobic, which means water-hating (therefore oil-loving) and is depicted as a wavy line.

The adsorption properties of surfactants mean that their molecules are usually found at the interface between an oil phase and a water phase or a water phase and an air phase. This property leads to the macroscopic (i.e. Bulk) properties of wetting, foaming, detergency and emulsion formation.

Soaps
Soaps are made from naturally occurring fats and oils such as palm oil and olive oil. Thus all soaps are fatty acid salts. They are produced by the hydrolysis of fatty acids with sodium hydroxide, a process named saponification.
The saponification of olive oil gives glycerol and sodium oleate, the latter of which is soap. Different types of oils and fats only differ in the length and number of the long hydrocarbon chains. In practice the most common soaps are made from vegetables oils. The main oils are: olive oil (giving oleate), palm oil (giving palmitate) and coconut oil (giving a blend of carboxylates). Soap produced from palm oil and olive oil is called Palmolive, by a certain commercial company.

Oil or grease are immiscible in water. Thus when soap adsorbs at the oil/water interface, the hydrophilic heads like to be in the water, while the hydrophobic tails like to be in the oil. Thus the cleaning action of soap is based on this surface-active nature of its molecules.
To remove oils and greases, soaps helps make an emulsion. An emulsion is a dispersion of one liquid in a second, immiscible liquid.

However, soaps have very different properties in hard water. The negatively charged head of the soap molecule complexes (i.e. bonds to) calcium or magnesium positively charged ions (Ca²+ or Mg²+) forming insoluble precipitate giving water a cloudy, murky appearance. (The cloudiness is due to the precipitation of soap, while the murky, brown color is due to tannins in the water, just like week tea). This precipitate can form a scum on the surface of the bath, the basin and anybody who steps into the water. To alleviate this problem, hard water is usually softened with water softeners.

Detergents
One of the driving forces for the development of detergents was the need for molecules with soap-like cleaning properties that were insensitive to metal ions in the water. Any surfactant that is not a soap is a detergent. Synthetic detergents fall into four broad categories: anionic, cationic, nonionic and zwitterionic.

• Anionic detergents make up around 49% of all surfactants made. They are used in shampoos, textile processing, in dishwashing and in washing powders. Typically, they are used in conjunction with nonionic detergents to provide greater stability. To illustrate the detergency property, let us look at how you clean a greasy plate. Unfortunately, the detergents needed small amount of phosphate added to them in many commercial applications (e.g.

laundry detergents). The large amounts of phosphates that ended up in waterways in developed countries led to an algal explosion that consumes all the oxygen in the water leading to large scale fish and plant death. Phosphates are now replaced with other builders such as zeolites or polymers.
 

  • Cationic detergents having a positively charged head in their molecule such as alkyl quaternary salts are incredibly stable and are used in hair conditioners and fabric softeners.
  • Nonionic detergents have uncharged molecules such as poly (ethyleneoxide). They are used in foods and drinks, pharmaceutical and skin-care products. Some are used in alkaline-metal cleaning formulations, hospital cleaners and oil-well drilling fluids.
  • Zwitterionic detergents have an anion and a cation in one molecule. They are used in skin-care products. A hybrid-surfactant has also been produced to improve the behavior in hard water.
     
    Germicides
    Chemical germicides are used everywhere from sterilization of medical instruments in hospitals to the cleaning of a household kitchen counter. They are known by several names, including antimicrobials, disinfectants, sporicides, sanitizers and sterilants. Sterilants eliminate all microbial life on objects or surfaces, including bacterial spores.

    A disinfectant is a chemical agent, which destroy or inhibits growth of pathogenic micro organisms in the non-sporing or vegetative state. Disinfectants do not necessarily kill all organisms but reduce them to a level, which does not harm health or the quality of perishable goods. Disinfectants are applied to inanimate objects and materials such as instruments and surfaces to control and prevent infection. They may also be used to disinfect skin and other tissues prior to surgery.Disinfection of water methods include boiling, ultraviolet irradiation or the addition 5Disinfection of water methods include boiling, ultraviolet irradiation or the addition of chlorine releasing compounds.

Major disinfectants, include:

 

  • Chloroxylenol is effective against a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria. It is less effective against Gram-negative bacteria and is inactive against spores.
  • Glutaral is strongly active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. It is also active against the TB bacillus, candida albicans fungi, viruses such as HIV and hepatitis.
  •  Chlorhexidine Gluconate 5% It is a representative disinfectant. It has a wide spectrum of bactericidal and bacteriostatic activity and is effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria but is less effective against pseudomonas and proteus and is relatively inactive against mycobacteria and bacterial spores. It is in compatible with soaps and other anionic materials such as bicarbonates, chlorides and phosphates.5

Home disinfectants
The most cost-effective home disinfectant is chlorine bleach (a 5% solution of sodium hyphoclorite) which is effective against most common pathogens and is powerful against viruses and bacteria and is commonly available and inexpensive but it is caustic to the skin and eyes and smells bad.
 

  • Antiseptic is a type of disinfectant, which destroys or inhibits growth of micro-organism or living tissues without causing injurious effects when applied to surfaces of the body or on skin tissues.
  •  Ethol has bactericidal activity and is used to disinfect skin prior to injection, veinpuncture or surgery.

    Many factors influence the effectiveness of germicides, including the:
    - Shape of object being cleaned, including its surface texture and if it is flat or has cracks

 - Amount of microbiologicals on the surface
- Resistance of the microbiologicals to the germicide
- Amount of additional soil build up on the object, including blood, mucous or tissue
- Chemical composition of the germicide
- Temperature of the germicide and time of exposure to it
 
Common antiseptics include:
Alcohols: ethanol (60-90%), 1 – propanol (60-70%) and 2 – propanol (70-84%) or mixtures of them. Used to disinfect skin before injections.
• Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (Quats)
Are used in pre-operative disinfection (0.05 – 0.5%) end in antiseptic towels. Benzalconium chloride is a more tissue friendly quat than others. 

• Boric Acid Used in eyewashes, and as an antiviral. It is only a soothing fluid.
• Chlorhexidine Gluconate Used as disinfectant as discussed earlier and also as a skin antiseptic to treat inflammation of the gums (gingivitis).
• Hydrogen Peroxide Used as 6% solution to clean and deodorize wounds and ulcers. More common 1% or 2%, is used in household first aid for scrapes etc., but is no longer recommended for wound care. Gentle washing with soap and water or rinsing a scrape with sterile saline is a better practice.
• Mercurochrome Not recommended due to concerns about its mercury content.
• Sodium Chloride (common salt) Used as an antiseptic mouth wash.
 
We will now highlight detergents in accordance with their use.

  1) Laundry detergents or washing powder They are substances that are added to help wash the fabric in a manner analogous to the way soap helps wash hands.They are sold as powder, granular solid, tablets, sticks, sprays, bars, liquid or dissolvable packets. One can find many different brands in the shops, and each one may claim to have any number of special qualities. All are soluble in water and are needed in the  initial “wash” cycle to separate the dirt or soil out from the fabric. Water rinsing removes the detergent residue from the laundry and removes the dirt suspended in the wash water. Laundry detergents may contain sodium carbonate (soda ash) or sodium bicarbonate (baking  powder) to maintainPH. Many contain bleaches such as sodium hypochlorite or compounds that release hydrogenperoxide. Some also contain optical brighteners, acting as phosphors converting some UV to blue light thus offsetting the yellowing of the materials. Sodium sulfate or borax can be added to make the powder free-flowing. Alcohols are added in liquid detergents to increase the solubility of the detergent while corrosion inhibitors are added to prolong the life time of the washing machine. Antifoaming agents will lower foam production making their presence in waste water less obvious.Enzymes are included to remove biologicalstains. Fabric  softeners, perfume or colour are sometimes added. Bars are formulated for soil and stain removal, bleaching fabric
and softening.

2) Personal cleaning products They include bar soaps, gels, liquid and hand cleaners. They get their cleaning action from soap, other surfactants or a combination of the two. The choice helps determine the lathering characteristics, feel on the skin and rinsing ability. Bar soaps or gel for cleaning hands, face and body may also moisturize the skin and/or kill or inhibit bacteria that cause odor or disease. Liquid soaps for cleaning hands or body may contain skin conditioners and antimicrobial agents. Heavy duty hand cleaners are available as bars, liquids, powders and pastes. They are formulated for removing stubborn greasy dirt. They may contain an abrasive.
3) Dishwashing products They include detergents for hand and machine dishwashing. They are available as liquids, gels, powders and solids.4) Household cleaners They are available as liquids, gels, powders, solid, sheets and pads for use on painted, plastic, metal, porcelain, glass and other surfaces, and on washable floor coverings.

They include:
• All-purpose Cleaners penetrate and loosen soil, soften water and prevent soil from redepositing on the cleaned surface.
• Abrasive Cleaners remove heavy accumulations of soil often found in smal  areas.
• Specialty Cleaners are designed for the soil  found on specific surfaces, such as glass, tile, metal, ovens, carpets and upholstery, toilet bowls and in drains.
• Tub, Tile and Sink Cleaners: remove normal soils found on bathroom surfaces as well as hard water deposits, soap scum, rust stains and mildew and mold.
• Metal Cleaners: remove soils and polish metalware. Tarnish, the oxidation of metal, is the principal soil found on metalware.
• Oven Cleaners remove burned-on grease and other food soils from oven walls.
• Rug Shampoos and Upholstery Cleaners dissolve oily, and greasy soils and hold them in suspension for removal.
• Toilet Bowls Cleaners prevent or remove stains caused by hard water and rust deposits, and maintain a clean and pleasant-smelling bowl.
• Drain Openers unclog kitchen and bathroom drains. They work by producing heat to melt fats, or by oxidizing hair and other materials.

5) Enzyme additives Enzymes used in detergents are protein catalysts that improve detergent cleaning performance, renew whiteness, colour and appearance of garments.

6) Organic solvent Acetone, Denaturated Alcohol, Petroleum distillates including kerosene, mineral spirits, naptha, dry cleaning fluid and turpentine are used to remove greasy soil or stains that will not dissolve in water, or used for cleaning surfaces that would be damaged by water.

Household cleaning products 

After the rather condensed tour in the technology of cleaning and the commercially available cleaning products, I will give tips that I have learned over the years from the
family experience in home cleaning:
- Do not be overwhelmed by the very wide range of brands available in the supermarket. They all use the same active ingredient with minor variations in additives that are   more of cosmetic nature than added cleaning capabilities.
- Take your pick on cost-effectiveness and manage your budget.
- Do not panic if what you want is not available in your favorite market or if the price is higher than your budget. There is always an equally effective collection of cleaning methods and surprising shortcuts that get the job done quickly and well.
 
The next article will give the reader a number of home-made cleaning blends that are easily prepared from available inexpensive and environment friendly