Tag Archive: dilution

  1. Get The Most Out Of Your Cleaner…Know When To Add More

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    5 Ways To Know When To Change Your Cleaning Solution

    Choosing the best cleaner for your critical cleaning application takes time and careful consideration. With so many choices out there it can be difficult to figure out which cleaner is the best choice for your specific needs. Factors to consider:
    • What is the surface being cleaned?
    • What are the soils?
    • What’s your cleaning method? Manual? CIP? Machine? Ultrasonic?
    • What is the cleaning temperature?
    • Do you need a validation method?
    You’ve done your homework, run trials and have chosen the right cleaner for your cleaning application. Now it’s time to start to clean!

    How much cleaner should I use?
    Determining how much cleaner to use will vary based on the parameters of your unique cleaning application. International Products Corporation (IPC) recommends using a 1% – 2% concentration of their specialty cleaners for most applications. Pouring the water into the tank first, and then adding the detergent, helps to avoid excess foaming when preparing your cleaning solution. The chart below is helpful:

     

    How do I know when it’s time to change the solution?
    For many industrial and critical cleaning applications, it is extremely important to use a consistent cleaning process and keep the cleaning solution at a desired strength. Concentration control methods are procedures used to determine the concentration of a cleaning solution to ensure process consistency. When the concentration of the detergent drops, you know it’s time to change it.

    IPC recommends five methods for testing the cleaning solution to determine the cleaner concentration:
    1. Refractive index
    2. Conductivity
    3. Total alkalinity
    4. Total acidity
    5. Foam height

    Refractive Index
    Refractive index is the “measure of the bending of a ray of light when passing from one medium into another.”¹ A refractometer is used to measure refraction. The refractive index is one way of measuring the amount of a substance in an aqueous solution. A higher refractive index indicates a higher amount of cleaner present in the solution. Conversely, a lower refractive index indicates a lower concentration of cleaner in the solution. If changes to the refractive index are found, it’s time to change your cleaning solution.

    Conductivity
    Conductivity “measures the ability of a given substance to conduct an electric current.”² Conductivity, measured in micro-siemens, can be used to determine the concentration of a cleaning solution. Cleaning solutions have a higher conductivity than water. So, a drop in the level of micro-siemens in your solution is an indication that it’s time to replace it.

    Total Alkalinity
    This method is used for cleaners that are alkaline based (a pH above 7). Total alkalinity measures the ability of a cleaner to neutralize acid. It assesses the cleaning solution’s buffering capacity – its resistance to changes in pH caused by acid. Total alkalinity is tested by performing a titration, a technique where a solution of known concentration is used to determine the unknown concentration of another solution.

    Alkaline builders bind hard water ions, so the surfactants can do their job. Without sufficient alkaline builders, the surfactants would come out of solution and become ineffective.

    If the results show that the pH of your solution has decreased by one full pH unit, it’s a good indication that it’s time to change your cleaning solution.

    Total Acidity
    This method is used for cleaners that are acid based (a pH below 7). Total acidity measures the ability of a cleaner to neutralize alkalinity. Similar to total alkalinity, total acidity is also tested by performing a titration. Changes in the pH of your cleaning solution occur once the soil load capacity of the cleaner has been saturated, indicating it’s time to change the solution.

    Foam Height
    Surfactants in cleaning solutions reduce surface tension, and, as a result, air may become entrapped. This leads to the formation of small bubbles or foam. If the cleaning solution is agitated, either by shaking vigorously by hand or in a blender, a layer of foam will form. The total volume can be measured in a graduated cylinder, and a foam level curve can be created by plotting the known concentration of the detergent versus the measured total volume. If the foam heights of various known concentrations of detergent are calculated, an equation can be created to determine the concentration of future cleaning solutions whose concentration level is unknown.

    All of these methods for calculating the concentration of detergent in a cleaning solution can be converted into simple equations. The data obtained can be plotted on a graph and the slope of the line can be used to calculate the concentration of detergent in your cleaning solution. If you see that the amount of detergent has dropped, you know it’s time to change your cleaning solution.

     

    Need help calculating the concentration of your cleaning solution? IPC’s concentration control methods primer can help. Or contact IPC’s application specialists for assistance.

     

    ¹ https://www.britannica.com/science/refractive-index

    ² http://www.dictionary.com/browse/conductivity

  2. Unlock the Superior Power of Liquid Concentrates

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    Should I choose a liquid concentrate or a powdered detergent for critical cleaning applications?

    With so many choices out there it can be difficult to figure out which cleaner is the best choice for your critical cleaning applications. After considering factors such as the surface being cleaned, the soil, the wash method and the proper temperature, the next thing to think about is whether to choose a powdered detergent or a liquid concentrate.

    Some advantages of using a liquid concentrate rather than a powdered detergent are:

    • powders can be messy and can create dust or powder clouds
    • concentrates are quicker and easier to mix
    • concentrates do not require agitation to mix
    • concentrates mix instantly in either cold or hot water
    • concentrates create a more homogeneous solution, powders can settle at the bottom

    How do I determine the proper concentration of detergent?

    Using the proper concentration of detergent is a key factor in determining your optimum cleaning process. This is not a case of the classic ‘more is better’ adage; using too much detergent can be as disruptive to your outcome as using too little. The recommended concentration of detergent in your solution may vary depending on the detergent itself, the soil, the substrate, the temperature and the cleaning method.

    When comparing different cleaning products, a cleaner that appears to be more costly on the surface may indeed be the more economical choice in the long run if a lower concentration of detergent is needed for each cleaning cycle. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for determining the correct strength of your cleaning solution. International Products Corporation recommends a 1% – 2% concentration of their cleaners for most applications.

    How do I prepare the cleaning solution and how much cleaner should I add to my tank?

    IPC recommends pouring the water into the tank first and then adding the detergent. This helps to avoid excess foaming when preparing your cleaning solution. The chart below is helpful in determining the amount of cleaner to be added to a tank:

    U.S. Tank Sizes

    (concentration of cleaner)

    Tank Size 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% 5.0%
    1 Quart 1/6 ounce 1/3 ounce 2/3 ounce 1½ ounces
    1 Gallon 2/3 ounce 1¼ ounces 2¾ ounces 6½ ounces
    3 Gallons 2 ounces 3¾ ounces 7¼ ounces 19¼ ounces
    5 Gallons 3¼ ounces 6½ ounces 12¾ ounces 1 quart
    10 Gallons 6½ ounces 12¾ ounces 25½ ounces 2 quarts
    25 Gallons 16 ounces 1 quart 2 quarts 1¼ gallons
    50 Gallons 1 quart 2 quarts 1 gallon 2½ gallons
    100 Gallons 2 quarts 1 gallon 2 gallons 5 gallons

     

    Metric Tank Sizes

    (concentration of cleaner)

    Tank Size 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% 5.0%
    1 Liter 5 ml 10 ml 20 ml 50 ml
    4 Liters 20 ml 40 ml 80 ml 200 ml
    10 Liters 50 ml 100 ml 200 ml 500 ml
    20 Liters 100 ml 200 ml 400 ml 1 liter
    40 Liters 200 ml 400 ml 800 ml 2 liters
    100 Liters 500 ml 1 liter 2 liters 5 liters
    200 Liters 1 liter 2 liters 4 liters 10 liters
    400 Liters 2 liters 4 liters 8 liters 20 liters

    For assistance in determining your optimum cleaning regimen, including choosing the right cleaner and determining the proper concentration of detergent, contact International Products Corporation.

Detergent Selection Guide

= Used ; = Preferred
SOILS Micro-90® Micro® Green Clean Micro® A07 Surface-Cleanse/930® LF2100® Zymit® Low-Foam Zymit® Pro
Adhesives
Biofilm
Biological soils: Blood, Feces, Mucous, Sebum, Sweat, Urine
Dyes, Inks
Eggs, Butter, Fruit Stains
Emulsifiers
Fat
Fingerprints
Flavor, Fragrances
Gelatin
Gels
Grass
Insoluble Salts
Milkstone
Oils
Oxides
Paraffins
Petrolatum
Proteins
Scale
Shop Dusts, Soldering Flux
Silicons
Starch
Tar
Tissue
Titanium Dioxides