When Good Cleaning Products Aren’t Enough

By Sani Marc | 2018-04-01

It’s not uncommon to see streaks, ripples or stains on a freshly stripped floor. Or chips or bubbles on a newly applied varnish, for that matter. Does that mean the product used was of inferior quality? Not necessarily.

Even the best products on the market can’t deliver optimal results if they aren’t used properly. And to do that, you need to understand the science and the chemical reactions behind them.

Not long ago, most people thought that a floor’s cleanliness was directly related to the amount of cleaning product used. Because of that misconception, mixing products was common practice. Today, we know that mixing cleaning products can be inefficient, imprecise and downright dangerous. It can also drastically inflate costs. Using cleaning products correctly is not something that can be improvised. Cleaning products are designed to work through a specific chemical reaction that occurs when they come into contact with dirt or bacteria. Mixing products can cause a chemical reaction that can be harmful to both the surface and the user.

Things to keep in mind

  • Always clean before disinfecting (never the other way around)
  • Respect the product’s application time. Applying a solvent and then immediately wiping it away does not allow enough time for the chemical reaction to occur.
  • Prepare the surface properly. Wash, strip, scrub, neutralize, dry, varnish.
  • Don’t substitute one product for another. Each product has been created for a specific purpose.
  • Always carefully inspect the surface being treated.
  • Bear in mind that temperature can affect solvents that break down dirt. At higher temperatures, it usually takes less product to clean and dissolve dirt, which can increase efficiency a nd lower chemical consumption costs.

Questions? Talk to a professional who can advise you on choosing the right products for your cleaning needs and – more importantly – how to use them properly. Our experts are here to help !

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