Power Washer Chemicals

Glossary of Commonly Used Terms

About power washer chemicals

Ever feel clueless when a description of a chemical formulation starts using technical lingo?

Become an educated consumer with this glossary of commonly used terms.

A basic understanding of power washer chemicals is a must for a successful contract cleaner.

ACID A chemical substance whose properties include the ability to

react with bases or alkalis in water solutions to form salts. Acids lower the pH of water solutions. When fatty acids (organic acids) react with alkalis, soap is produced. Many soils are weakly acidic and are more easily removed in alkaline wash solutions.

******************** ALKALI An alkali is a chemical substance that has a pH above 7 (also called "base"). The higher the pH of an alkali, the stronger the chemical is (or more "caustic"). Alkalis are often called detergent builders and are the major active ingredient in most detergents, especially powdered products. The level of alkalinity in a detergent solution is often considered the true measure of a detergent's strength.

******************** ANION An atom or group of atoms that have a negative electric charge. An "anionic detergent surfactant" is attracted to soil that carries a positive electric charge. Anionic chemicals are mostly used by manufacturers to create foam.

******************** BASE A substance that has a pH above 7. Base chemicals are composed of negatively charged ions (electrically charged molecules).

******************** BUFFERS Chemical compounds that help stabilize pH and maintain the level of alkalinity as it is used up in the cleaning process. Buffers are not to be confused with bulk adding extenders called "fillers."

******************** BUILDER A name used to describe a chemical compound that adds or "builds" the alkalinity of a product. The higher the pH of an alkali, the stronger the chemical is (or more "caustic"). A detergent that has moderate to high alkalinity is referred to, therefore, as a "built detergent." The alkalinity builders most common to the cleaning industry are phosphates, silicates, caustics, and carbonates. Due to some potential for negative environmental impact (phosphates), health problems (caustics), and streaking (carbonates) the clesning industry has seen an increasing reliance on the silicates.

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CAUSTIC Alkali compounds at the higher end of the pH scale (those approaching pH 14). Sodium hydroxide (lye or caustic soda) is the most popular caustic used in the carwash industry. "Soda" was the cornerstone alkali builder in most detergents for decades. Since the 1980's, detergent manufacturers have become much less reliant on caustics because of their aggressive nature. Caustics may destroy objects they come in contact with - from car finishes and aluminum wheels to human tissue if they are handled improperly or carelessly.

******************** CHELATES (pronounced kee-lates) Chemical compounds that act as water "softening" agents. "Hard" minerals (such as calcium) are attracted to and can neutralize the surfactants in a detergent. Chelates do not remove or exchange hard minerals in water. Rather, chelate molecules surround and cover (sequester) those minerals. With these minerals sequestered, the surfactants in the detergent are free to foam and clean.

CLOUD POINT A term used in reference to detergents and in some cases waxes. Cloud point refers to the upper temperature limit at which an ingredient in a solution may separate out (precipitate). Both powders and liquids can have "cloud points," but generally, liquids have more of a tendency to "cloud out" at high temperatures. Clouding is problematic because once a chemical component falls out of a solution, that solution it can lose a considerable amount of its cleaning ability. In addition, after precipitating, the chemical is usually "locked out" and is unable to reenter a homogenous solution. Most quality products should be able to withstand being heated to 140� F. More inferior products can cloud at 120� F or even lower temperatures.

CORROSIVE This term is used to describe the effects of an acid (pH below 7). Technically, the terms "caustic" and "corrosive" are each used to describe the chemical actions of compounds at opposite ends of the pH scale. When you consider, however, that both extremes of pH can cause chemical burns and "abrasion" they are - in effect - synonymous.

DEGREASER A specialty product that removes grease, road film, and grime. Designed more for hard surfaces than for fabrics, degreasers may be used for pretreatment or as the sole cleaning agent, but they should always be followed by a water rinse.

DELIQUESCENCE When water soluble salt minerals (ex: road dirt) dissolve and liquefy after exposure to moisture. When dry, these salts form a glue-like bond with other dirt on a vehicle surface and are extremely difficult to remove.

DETERGENT Technically, all cleaning agents (even soaps) are considered "detergents." However, common usage has narrowed the term to describe those cleaners consisting of man-made (synthetic) chemicals compounds. True "soaps" are cleaners that contain animal fats or plant oils (fatty acids) as their essential ingredients. Modern synthetic detergents utilize chemicals extracted mostly from petroleum as substitutes for these fatty acids. Modern detergents can often contain complex mixtures of chemical compounds. However, the surfactant component of these mixtures is mainly responsible for the cleaning power of detergents.

DWELL TIME The period of time in which a cleaning agent is in contact with a soiled surface and is left undisturbed to penetrate, loosen, dissolve, and emulsify the soil. Dwell time is typically factored into the application of the more highly concentrated, active cleaning agents such as pre-soaks or tire/engine cleaners.

EMULSION A liquid that consists of 2 or more different substances that usually repel one another. These substances may be thoroughly mixed, but do not dissolve into a homogeneous solution. Emulsions are sometimes referred to as suspensions. Microscopic examination of dissimilar substances (such as oil and water) will show that they are actually suspended and floating in molecular clumps - separate and apart from one another no matter how thoroughly they have been mixed.

FILLER Is an inert, inexpensive substance that reduces the concentration of the more expensive active chemical ingredients in detergents. Several different types of dry ingredients are used in powder products; whereas, water is considered a filler in liquid detergents. Chemically inactive fillers are not equivalent to chemically functioning buffers.

ION A molecule that has a specific electrical charge (either a positive/cation or negative/anion). Cleaning chemistry focuses largely on defining the electrical charges of the different types of dirt and the surfaces they soil. Cleaning agents are created to take advantage of these ions to either attract or repel other ions. The dissolving, emulsifying, washing and rinsing away of soil are, therefore, the result of this electric-magnetic phenomenon.

PH A chemical symbol expressing the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with 7 indicating neutrality. The pH number increases as alkalinity increases and decreases as acidity rises.

POWDER A granule form of soap or detergent. Powders differ in size, density, and form as a result of their method of manufacture.

PRESERVATIVE A substance that protects against the natural effects of aging, such as decay, discoloration, oxidation, and spoilage. In soap products, preservatives are used to prevent or slow down the natural tendency to develop rancidity upon aging. Preservatives also protect colors and fragrances. Butylated hydroxytoluene, stannic chloride, or EDTA are the most commonly used preservatives in the cleaning chemical industry.

PRESOAK Product designed to loosen and remove grease and oils. Builder ingredients used in presoaks are sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium silicate and sodium carbonate. In non-phosphate formulations, builders are sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate.

SAPONIFICATION The centuries-old process of producing simple soaps. It involves the boiling and mixing of acidic natural oils (from animals or plants) and alkaline substances (sodium hydroxide from wood ashes) thereby, producing a "true soap." Saponification also describes the cleaning process as done by alkaline compounds in detergents. In this case, alkalis mix with oily soils and water forming a type of "salt" that is rinsed away.

SALT This term goes well beyond common table salt or the rock salt spread on icy roads. A salt is any substance that forms as a result of the chemical reaction between an acid and a base.

SOAP A type of cleaning agent that incorporates a natural acidic oil, such as animal fats, plant oils, or synthetic detergents. Soap is produced when these acid/oils are combined with base/ alkaline substances. A soap's acid or base structure enables it to mix oil and water. Soap molecules are able to both attract and loosen oily dirt, and then suspend the dirt in water for easy removal.

SOLVENT A liquid that has the ability to thoroughly dissolve another substance thereby creating a solution. Water is often called the universal solvent because it has the ability to dissolve virtually every type of inorganic (primarily mineral) soil. Oily road soil, however, is classified as an organic material. That's because hydrocarbons that make up petroleum are derived from plant and animal matter that has fermented for millions of years. Dissolving, unlike suspending, oil and other organic soil requires solvents such as Glycol, Butyl, Alcohol and D-Limonene.

SUBSTRATE The surface being cleaned.examples of substrates are concrete, wood, aluminym, vinyl, stucco etc. It is interesting to note that if a top layer of paint is being removed the next layer of paint becomes the substrate.

SURFACTANT A commonly used abbreviated term for surface reactive agent. Surfactants are often referred to as a wetting agents. Surfactants have 3 functions: 1.) to decrease the surface tension of water enabling it to penetrate and loosen dirt; 2.)to assist in the creation of foam; and 3.) to protect vehicle surfaces by providing necessary lubricity to brushes and cloths that make physical contact.

SYNDET An abbreviation for the term synthetic detergent. Syndets are cleaning agents composed of man made chemical compounds.

TITRATION A method of measuring the strength and concentration of detergents. Titration is the method recommended by manufacturers to test a detergent's alkaline content when mixed in a solution or to confirm proper concentration. The most practical titration method used by most car wash operators uses drops of an acid which will react to the actual amount of alkali in the detergent solution.

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