Wholesale Cleaning Chemicals & Products - Commercial & Industrial

Choose the right cleaning product then consider these these 5 things to get the very best results... dwell time, agitation, stronger dilutions, temperature and rinsing.

1. Dwell time
All chemicals need time to work. Giving cleaning chemical enough time to dwell on the surface will help penetrate, loosen and suspend soils for easy removal.

2. Agitation
Sometimes surfaces with heavy soiling need a scrub.

3. Stronger dilutions
In heavy duty cleaning processes, a stronger dilution or more cleaning chemical concentrate can make the job easier.

4. Temperature
There are some circumstances where heat will assist in the cleaning process.

5. Rinsing
Rinsing surfaces that have been cleaned with uncontaminated water can reduce re-soiling and return the pH closer to it’s normal level.

The 7 most common types of cleaning chemicals are surfactants, solvents, alkalines, acids, probiotics/enzymes, oxidisers and reducing agents.

1. Surfactants
• All general hard surface and carpet cleaners, laundry products, degreasers, etc will contain either anionic, non-ionic or a combination of the two.
• Quaternary disinfectants (Benzalkonium Chloride) and fabric softeners are virtually the only chemicals with cationic surfactants. That is why disinfectants and odour neutralisers always say not to mix with any other chemical.
• A lot of personal care products such as creams and shampoos use amphoteric surfactants.

2. Solvents
• Polar Solvents (water & oil soluble). Eg. Alcohols such as methylated spirits and Glycol Ethers such as 2-Butoxy Ethanol
• Non-Polar Solvents (oil soluble only). Eg. Turpentine, Xylene, Petrol, Mineral paraffin, D-Limonene, Pine Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Methylene Chloride, Carbon Tetrachloride. Non-polar solvents are used as paint removers, gum removers and for removal of stubborn grease, oil and ink spots. 

3. Alkaline Cleaners
Alkaline cleaning chemicals have a higher pH (e.g. TKO & I-Destroy) and are designed to work best at removing fat, grease, dirt, grime, animal & vegetable oils, mould, algae, body fat, soap scum, proteins from food, oil, and most industrial soils.

4. Acid Cleaners
Alkaline cleaning chemicals have a lower pH (e.g. Phos Power & Brush & Flush) and work best at removing grout haze and residue from the tiling process, render, plaster, browning discolouration on carpets, watermarks, coffee, tannin, fruit juice, soft drink, some dye stains, tea, rust marks, water scale, uric acid scale, calcium, lime, salt, efflorescence, fresh concrete, red dirt, brown dirt and other stubborn mineral staining and soilage. Acidic products can damage some surfaces like polished marble.

5. Probiotic Cleaners (including enzyme cleaners)
Probiotic cleaners contain are friendly microbes who's favourite food is gunge and filth. These little heros keep surfaces healthy, building the natural microbiome and leaving no room for bad bacteria to thrive. If there's food (grime), they keep cleaning for days and sometimes weeks, long after you've finished cleaning. Our natural microbes are legendary for stopping really bad smells. And best of all they do not pollute. Yep, they actually help the environment (cradle-to-cradle). Whether it's cleaning surfaces, clearing drains, stopping odours or removing stains, let our beneficial enzymes and super friendly microbes do the dirty work for you! 

*Enzyme cleaners do not contain friendly bacteria however these microbes do produce enzymes.

6. Oxidisers
Oxidising agents are substances which introduce high levels of oxygen or chlorine.
• Oxygen oxidisers are perborate, percarbonate and Hydrogen Peroxide.
• Chlorine oxidisers are chlorine bleach and pool chlorine powder.

7. Reducing Agents
Reducing agents do not remove stains but render them colourless by removing the oxygen from them. Exactly the opposite to an oxidiser. Reducing agents often have a pungent sulphur smell. They are very effective at removing red colour, tannin and coffee stains. As with oxidising agents the speed and efficacy of the reduction process can be accelerated by heat and neutralisation. A good example of a reducing agent that is commonly used is the XO2’s Tea, Coffee and Fruit Juice Remover. Reducing agents are strong chemicals and care should be taken to prevent unwanted fibre damage, unwanted colour loss and chemical burns.

Water (H2O), it's nature's cleaning solvent. But sometimes when you're cleaning water needs some more help.

No. Be wary of chemical-free product claims. Remember water is a chemical compound (H2O)! So by that definition there are no chemical-free cleaning solutions... it's impossible.

Chemical free, when it's used to describe a cleaning liquid, gel or powder is a marketing term that is just not accurate. Makers will justify the term by saying their product has no hazardous chemicals which is not a very high bar in this category. In that case maybe they should be called hazardous chemical free. But take something like pure eucalyptus oil, it's classed as flammable so we would call that natural but hazardous. 

To go completely chemical-free, you can use alternative cleaning methods like cleaning dry with microfibre cloths or microfibre flat mops and using no liquids.

The 4 E’s when choosing a cleaning method are efficiency, ergonomics, economy and ecology (environment).

1. Efficiency
Consider…
• Does your cleaning system work well?
• Is it easy to understand?
• Aim to achieve long lasting results.
• Doing the job right the first time will reduce re-soiling and can save you more work down the track.
• Ensure surfaces do not sustain damage by the chemical, agitation or method used.

b. Ergonomics
Consider…
• Ease of use and weight of equipment
• Storage of equipment
• Workplace health and safety issues

c. Economy
Consider...
What is the highest cost in cleaning?
1st - Labour costs (Time)
2nd - Administration and insurance
3rd - Accessories and consumables (Mops etc)
4th - Cleaning chemicals

Did you know that on average, more than 95% of cleaning costs are labour related? The latest technologies available mean effort and time taken can be greatly reduced. Time is our most valuable commodity. Where you can save time you save money.

d. Ecology (Environment)
Environmentally-friendly cleaning solutions are easy to find at XO2.

1. What type of surface is it?
• Is it a fabric, concrete, plastic, rough surface, metal, glossy surface, glass, vinyl, hard surface, grouting, ceramic tile etc?
• Is the surface easily damaged?
• Are you unsure of the surface?

2. What type of soil or stain is it?
Is it oil, grease, general dirt, mineral staining, rust, body fat, mould, mildew, staining etc.

3. What type of water supply is available to use for cleaning?
Water is the medium used for most chemicals but there are times when dry or low moisture cleaning is required.

4. What energy type is available to use in the cleaning process?
• Kinetic: Manual or Mechanical (eg. machine, brush, scourer, cloth)
• Chemical: Detergent
• Thermal: Heat

5. What chemical and agitation type is best for the area to be cleaned?
For example: A chemical and agitation process for body fat and soap scum in a shower with ceramic tiles, grout and glass doors. Use Bravo or Wonder Gel as your chemical with a scrubbing brush for the tiles and grout and a white scourer for the glass and other surfaces.