Biological and Chemical Cleaning:
Two Sustainable Solutions

By PAUL GOLDIN, Avmor Director of Marketing and Customer Satisfaction
 

“REQUIREMENTl Clean and Safe.” As people have become increasingly aware of and concerned about health and safety issues, businesses have come under significant pressure to take active measures in order to safeguard the health and safety of their workers, customers and the surrounding environment. 

Biological and chemical technologies each provide a sustainable solution for effective green cleaning. 

Biological Cleaning: A biological cleaning solution for cleaning and maintenance uses biological decomposition to clean and deodorize without harming workers, customers or the environment. These products harness nature’s own process to recycle waste into simple and essential substances. When a biological product is applied to a surface, the microbials eat at the grease – turning it into water and carbon dioxide. Biological cleaning products harness natural processes in order to meet today’s demands for cleaning, odor control and waste elimination without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. 

There are four main advantages to using biological cleaners and odor control products:

(1)   They are better for the environment and safer for the users and occupants when compared to traditional chemical cleaners and odor control products;

(2)   They are highly specialized enzyme producing microbials to clean and control odors by eliminating the soils that traditional chemical products alone cannot treat;

(3)   They provide residual cleaning up to 80 hours after application and help to reduce overall labour costs by continuing to work long after application;

(4)   They help to displace unknown, potentially disease causing bacteria with known, healthy microbials and, in this way, contribute to our better health.

 

Biological based products should not be confused with solely enzyme-based products since the latter do not provide the same cleaning results. Enzyme-based products break down the organic matter into smaller pieces and displace it without completely eliminating it. In contrast, biological based products continue eating at organic matter until there is nothing left. As a result, biological based products play a key role in neutralizing malodors, while enzyme based products simply displace the organic matter without eliminating the odours.

 

Because of their use of microbials, biological cleaners work best in the following conditions:

(a)    Ideal storage temperature ranging from five to 35 degrees Celsius;

(b)   Moderate moisture (water activates the microbials and helps transport them);

(c)    A ph between five and 10.

 

Biological based products work in five steps which include the following:

Step One: The product is applied.

Step Two: The microbials in the product sense the organic matter and express enzymes appropriate to the substance to be cleaned.

Step Three: The enzymes cleave the organic matter into smaller pieces.

Step Four: The small pieces are returned to the microbial for digestion.

Step Five: The digestion process results in water and carbon dioxide.

This cycle repeats itself until all the organic matter is digested.

 

Chemical Cleaning:  Chemical based products offer another environmentally responsible method for effective cleaning. These products use the chemical properties of hydrogen peroxide to break up organic matter and then prevent grease from sticking onto the surface. See Illustration in Figure One.

Step One: Product is applied – the surface active agents (surfactants) and hydrogen peroxide are ready for action.

Step Two: Hydro peroxide breaks up the organic matter, reduces adhesion at the surface and turns into water and carbon dioxide.

Step Three: The surfactant encapsulates the organic matter and prevents it from going back onto the surface.

Step Four: The surface is wiped clean.

 

Hydrogen peroxide(1) is particularly attractive in that it:

• Creates no toxic or hazardous by-products – it breaks down into water and oxygen.
• Is safe for hard surfaces and textile finishes.
• Has excellent stain removal properties.
• Improves waste water quality in sewer systems.
• Helps reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) – key parameters in measuring water quality.
• Can detoxify cyanide, nitrogen compounds, chlorine, bisulfate, phenol and a host of other toxic based waste.
  

 

Hydrogen peroxide works very effectively. However, you have to be careful and experiment with the type of material or purpose for which you want to use it, as well as the conditions in which you are using the product. It is best to ask your cleaning solution provider about products containing hydrogen peroxide.

 

“REQUIREMENT: Sustainable.” In addition to being clean and safe, any cleaning product should be sustainable. A sustainable cleaning product is one that (itals)performs(enditals) and has a (itals)reduced(enditals) negative effect on environmental and human health when compared with competing cleaning products that serve the same purpose.

 

Therefore, the product should specificially meet the needs of:

• Performance – Saves time while cleaning effectively.
• People – Safeguards the health and safety of users and customers.
• Planet – Raw materials should be biodegradable and meet the highest environmental standards for safe storage, transportation and disposal.
• Price – Priced competitively when compared to conventional cleaning products in the same categories.

 

Although biological and chemical technologies differ from one another, they can safely compliment each other. An ideal sustainable cleaning program will take advantage of the strengths of each technology in order to help obtain an effective and more complete clean.

 

For more information, contact Avmor at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 1-800-387-8074 or visit the website at www.ecopure.ca or www.avmor.com .