Tag Archive: Biodegradable cleaners

1. Micro Green Clean: A Greener Cleaner Choice

   March 24, 2022 8:27 pm Comments Off on Micro Green Clean: A Greener Cleaner Choice

   

   Micro Green Clean: A Greener Cleaner Choice

   Conventional non-green consumer and commercial cleaning products are potentially hazardous, carrying the risks of long-term illness due to over-exposure, asthma, chemical burns, irritation, or accidental ingestion by a person or pet. As the demand for effective cleaning products grows, manufacturers seek to develop effective formulations that contain more natural ingredients and provide safer user experiences.

   International Products Corporation offers an aqueous, biodegradable cleaner with a gentle alkaline pH that effectively cleans many types of soils: Micro Green Clean. With its superior cleaning performance, Micro Green Clean makes your spring-cleaning process a lot easier, no matter your industry. Micro Green Clean is formulated exclusively with readily biodegradable ingredients. Our formulation is non-flammable and is free of phosphates, silicates, borates, phenols, halogenated compounds, CFCs, solvents, and ozone-depleting chemicals.

   Continue reading to discover how Micro Green Clean works and the various applications where this precision, biodegradable cleaner truly shines.

   What Are Biodegradable Cleaners?

   Although there is no legal definition, biodegradable refers to the ability of a substance to be broken down into harmless byproducts by microorganisms. Readily biodegradable refers to the capability of at least 60% of the substance breaking down within 28 days. Biodegradable cleaners such as Micro Green Clean won’t persist in the environment because they get broken down into nontoxic components.

   In Which Industrial Applications Are Biodegradable Cleaners Used?

   Biodegradable cleaners can be used in all types of industrial applications. Micro Green Clean is powerful enough to clean even the most troublesome soils, including:

   Oils and fats	Biological debris
   Greases	Hard water stains
   Adhesives	Particulates
   Metal oxides	Nearly anything

   IPC product specialists suggest Micro Green Clean for washing:

   ·        Medical equipment	·        Labware and instruments
   ·        Filter membranes	·        Breweries and brewing equipment
   ·        Pharmaceutical manufacturing surfaces	·        Botanical extracts
   ·        Cannabis resins, extracts, and residues	·        Surfaces before disinfecting
   ·        Stainless steel	·        Manufacturing process equipment
   ·        Virtually any surface – ask for compatibility data!

   What Are the Benefits of Micro Green Clean in Commercial Applications?

   • Micro Green Clean is an effective multi-purpose cleaner for any industry.
   • Biodegradable chemicals are a safer cleaning alternative for both our planet and our environment.
   • Micro Green Clean is solvent-free, so it won’t affect air quality or cause lung damage to users.
   • Unlike solvents, aqueous, biodegradable cleaners do not pollute soil and water.
   • Our highly concentrated formula is economical and eco-friendly! Save money and pollute less.
   • Micro Green Clean works with various cleaning methods, including clean in place (CIP), clean out of place (COP), manual washing, ultrasonics, and mild agitation.
   • IPC offers data and technical support to help you achieve the level of cleanliness you need.

    

   

   Get the Right Cleaners for Your Unique Needs

   Whether you’re in food services, manufacturing, retail, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, medicine, or any other industry, you likely need safe and effective cleaning supplies. Check out our selection of available sizes, browse helpful resources, and get the high-quality precision cleaners you need from IPC. If you have any questions about Micro Green Clean, need help choosing the right cleaners for your needs, or would like to place an order, please contact us anytime!

2. How to Properly Clean Medical Devices

   June 28, 2018 5:29 pm Comments Off on How to Properly Clean Medical Devices

   When it comes to medical devices cleanliness is crucial. All medical devices, whether they are disposable, implantable or reusable, must be cleaned during the manufacturing process to remove oil, grease, fingerprints and other manufacturing soils. Reusable products must also be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized between each use to avoid infecting patients or causing illness. Reaching the right level of cleanliness does not come automatically. A well planned cleaning regimen must be developed and followed carefully.

   

   Developing a Cleaning Process

   Medical device manufacturers must provide proof that their products can be adequately cleaned as part of the FDA approval process. As a result, most manufacturers now incorporate setting up a cleaning protocol as part of the design and development phase.

   Factors to consider when setting up a cleaning regimen:

   • Soils: Choose a cleaner that will best attack the soils you are trying to remove. Enzyme cleaners are often used for medical device cleaning applications since they work well at removing organic soils. Protease enzymes in particular are a good choice for protein based organic soils like blood, fat, sweat, mucous, feces and tissue.

   

   • Surface: Titanium, plastic, ceramic, silicone and metal are some of the more common materials used in the manufacture of medical devices. It’s important to select a cleaner that is compatible with the substrate of the device you are cleaning. The cleaner manufacturer should be able to guide you and provide compatibility studies for their products.
   • Wash method: Common methods of cleaning medical devices include automatic washers, ultrasonic cleaners and manual washing. Factors such as soil, substrate, composition and end use of the device are taken into consideration. Regardless of the method used, it’s extremely important to be sure that all soils are removed from blind holes and internal passages of the device.
   • Temperature: In most cases, increasing the temperature is one of the best ways to speed up or improve the cleaning action. The temperature parameters that should be used for any individual cleaning application will depend upon the make-up of the medical device and the soils that are present, as well as your choice of detergent and wash method. Check with the manufacturer for the maximum suggested operating temperature for your detergent.
   • Dwell time: The length of the cleaning cycle contributes to the effectiveness of your cleaning application. In most cases, a longer dwell time will improve the results. However, all factors – soils, temperature, substrate, detergent and cleaning method must be taken into consideration.
   • Rinse step: Thorough rinsing should follow cleaning. Rinsing removes any excess detergent left on the item. For critical cleaning applications it is best to use deionized or distilled water, as rinsing with ordinary water may introduce new contaminates.
   • Validation procedures: Cleaning validation is a part of the regulatory compliance process for medical device manufacturing and reprocessing. Validation ensures that medical devices are washed according to previously determined standards and that all traces of soil and detergent are removed. Validation methods are unique to each detergent and should be available from most cleaner manufacturers.

   Download IPC’s “7 Step Guide to the Proper Usage of Critical Cleaners” for more information on establishing a cleaning regimen.

   Cleaning and Sterilizing

    What’s the Difference?

   Medical devices not only need to be clean, they also need to be sterile. Medical devices that are not properly cleaned and sterilized can lead to patient infection. Cleaning and sterilization are two distinct processes and both must be performed to ensure that medical devices meet safety standards.

   The CDC defines cleaning as “the removal of foreign material (e.g., soil, and organic material) from objects…normally accomplished using water with detergents or enzymatic products”. (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/cleaning.html). They describe sterilization as a process that “destroys all microorganisms on the surface of an article or in a fluid to prevent disease transmission associated with the use of that item”. (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/sterilization/index.html). The CDC has established guidelines that are used to determine if a medical device is considered sterile. This is referred to as the sterility assurance level or SAL of a product and is defined as the likelihood that any viable microorganisms will exist on a device after sterilizing.

   Why do Both?

   Clearly we have two different, albeit related, processes. So, why do both? Cleaning the medical devices first ensures that they are free from soils and debris that can cause infection and reduce the efficiency of the sterilization process.

   The CDC guidelines explain that “Thorough cleaning is required before high-level disinfection and sterilization because inorganic and organic materials that remain on the surfaces of instruments interfere with the effectiveness of these processes. Also, if soiled materials dry or bake onto the instruments, the removal process becomes more difficult and the disinfection or sterilization process less effective or ineffective.” (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/cleaning.html).

   If a surface is sterilized or disinfected before it is cleaned, the remaining soils can still contribute to the growth of harmful germs and lead to further contamination. Lingering soils on the surface of the medical device can serve as a barrier and impact the efficiency of the sterilization process. If the surface is thoroughly cleaned first, and validated for cleanliness, sterilization is much more effective.

   Interested in learning more about choosing the right specialty cleaner for your medical device cleaning application? Contact one of International Products Corporation’s (IPC) technical specialists or request a free cleaner sample for testing. All of IPC’s specialty cleaners are registered with NSF as A1 cleaners and can be validated in FDA processes.

   

3. Is Your Cleaner Biodegradable?

   December 11, 2017 4:26 pm Comments Off on Is Your Cleaner Biodegradable?

   When it comes time to choose a product for critical cleaning applications most of us are concerned with performance. We want a powerful cleaner that will remove all soils and get the job done. But, have you ever stopped to wonder about the environmental effects of that product?

   What if you found a powerful, effective cleaner that was also environmentally friendly and safe for all personnel? What if the cleaner was actually biodegradable? Do these products exist? Can you find a safe precision cleaner that delivers the exceptional performance you’re seeking?

   

   International Products Corporation (IPC) manufactures a full line of specially formulated precision cleaners that are among the safest yet most effective solutions on the market. All of IPC’s environmentally safe cleaners are free of solvents, phosphates, silicates, phenols, and substances of very high concern.

   IPC’s cleaners are safe for personnel, materials and equipment, and the environment. Yet, they are powerful enough to remove the most difficult soils. This makes them excellent alternatives to hazardous solvents and chemicals frequently used for precision cleaning applications.

   

   Choose from 3 different biodegradable cleaners

   • Micro® Green Clean is an industrial-strength, free-rinsing, multi-purpose hard surface cleaner designed for use in a wide range of cleaning applications. Target soils include grease, oil and biological debris. It is excellent for cleaning metals, ceramics, medical instruments, food-processing equipment, filter membranes, and other surfaces.
   • Micro® A07 is a powerful blend of chelating citric acid and anionic surfactants designed to remove salts, soap scum, metal oxides, hard water scale, grease, rust, milkstone, mineral deposits and inorganic material from filter membranes, labware, and industrial equipment.
   • Zymit® Pro is a neutral-pH cleaner formulated with a unique blend of protease enzymes, surfactants, and builders that work together to remove tough protein-based soils. The enzymes dissolve the soils, and the detergents help lift and wash them away. Target soils include food, gelatin, and biological materials such as blood, fat, and tissue. Zymit® Pro is effective for cleaning filter membranes, metals, ceramics, plastics, medical instruments and devices, food processing equipment, and other surfaces.

   

   When cleanliness counts, you can count on IPC’s full line of specialty cleaners. IPC’s mild, yet powerful precision cleaners destroy dirt and help keep workers and the environment safe. Registered with the NSF as USDA A1 cleaners, IPC’s precision cleaners are effective for cleaning a broad spectrum of soils from all types of surfaces and have helped companies in the most highly regulated industries solve their cleaning challenges.

   What’s in your plant? Replace traditionally used corrosives, phosphates, solvents, petroleum distillates, and other hazardous chemicals with safe yet powerful precision cleaners. Learn more here or contact IPC’s technical team for help with choosing the right solution for your cleaning application.