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Cleaning technology has come a long way from the ancient Babylonian way of soap-making. Today’s cleaning products are the result of thoughtful design, experimentation, and safety testing.
The machines we use to clean have also improved, becoming more sustainable and friendly for our environment. So far we have been able to make new cleaning products that allow us to wash in cold water (saving energy from water heating), wash with less water, and make packaging smaller (to save…
Cleaning products play an essential role in daily life. They can remove dirt and stains from our clothes, dried on food from our dishes, and even germs from our hands! Let’s learn more about the chemistry that makes this happen.
What Is Cleaning?
Cleaning is the process of taking something dirty—like your kitchen counter—and removing dirt, grease, and grime found on it. When we clean, we leave things better than they were when we found them. Cleaning helps remove dirt,…
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Experts agree that frequent hand washing is one of the first lines of defense against illness. Along with hand washing, ensuring surfaces that you come into contact are free of germs is another important line of defense against the spread of germs or pathogens (disease causing bacteria, viruses or fungi). High touch surfaces such as door knobs, switches, and shopping cart handles are some places where cleaning may not be enough to ensure that…
The American Cleaning Institute is listening to families and communities who want to know more about the ingredients in their cleaning products.
For moms and dads who want to know more than ever before about the products they use, SmartLabel is the digital shopping tool/app that gives access to timely updates on products across more store aisles and with more information than could ever fit standard labels. It’s the trusted information you’re looking for to help make the right choices for your…
What is soap and how does it work?
The sudsy stuff we use every day of our lives is a mystery to most of us. But behind our cleaning products is an array of scientific data and information. This science and chemistry helps to ensure our products work and are safe for you and your family to use. The resources below will walk through what it means to be clean and how the cleaning process works. For more information and activities, we encourage you to check out ExplorationClean.…
No matter the type of product you are using (soap or detergent), good cleaning takes a lot of energy. Three different kinds to be exact:
Chemical energy, provided by the soap or detergent
Mechanical energy, provided by a machine or by hand
Thermal energy, provided by heating water Let’s look at how all these elements work together.
Assume we have a great, big, oily, greasy stain on one of our favorite shirts. Water alone is not enough to remove the stain and get our shirt clean. That…
Learn about PVA & Water Soluble Films Used in Dishwashing and Laundry Pods and Packets
Liquid detergent packets were introduced to the North American market in 2010 and have since become an important product. They have grown in popularity because they provide a convenient way to deliver the correct dose of detergent for maximum cleaning efficiency. With increased use come more questions…
What is Coronavirus
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some of which already circulate among humans and cause mild illness, like the common cold. COVID-19 has symptoms associated with respiratory illnesses, including fever, cough and shortness of breath. It spreads like other respiratory illnesses as well, primarily through person-to-person contact.
Cleaning for Coronavirus
Handwashing: Proper…
Surfactants (yellow) cause water to lose surface tension, which is what keeps water separate from other materials
Have you ever seen a bead of water sitting on a surface? This is because water has a property called surface tension. This tension causes water to form a bead on the surface of things like glass or fabric. You can see surface tension at work by placing a drop of water onto a counter top. The drop will hold its shape and will not spread.
In order to clean the dirt on our clothes,…
The ingredients in your cleaning products fall into several different categories, added to provide different characteristics and cleaning functions. Each product formula is a careful balance of various ingredients that will work best for what you are trying to clean.For more information about the specific ingredients in a cleaning product, visit the manufacturer's website or look for the product in SmartLabel…