Copy of `Shine - Cleaning glossary`

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Shine - Cleaning glossary Category: General technical and industrial > Cleaning Date & country: 11/12/2007, UK Words: 106

Abrasion
The wearing away or cleaning by friction

Abrasive
A product that works by abrasion or scouring action

Acid
A compound that ironises in water to produce hydrogen irons

Acrylic Floor Finish
A water based product that dries hard and glossy

Alcohols
Compounds that contain one or more hydroxyl group. Alcohols used in cleaners are; ethyl, methyl, propyl and butyl

Algaecide
Products that destroy algae

All Purpose Cleaner
A powder or liquid detergent suitable for general house hold cleaning

Anhydrous Soap
Soap that contains no water

Anionic Surfactant
Negatively charged molecule widely used in high sudsing detergents

Antibacterial
Counteracting bacteria

Antimicrobial
An agent that destroys bacteria, fungi, protozoa or any virus that is pathogenic

Antiredeposition Agent
Ingredient used in detergents to help prevent soil from redepositing on surfaces or fabrics

Bacteria
Microscopic single cell living organisms responsible for illness in humans

Bactericide
A chemical agent that destroys bacteria

Bacteriostat
A chemical agent that prevents bacteria from growing but doesn`t kill it

Bleach
A product that is used for cleaning. removing stains and whitening/brightening fabrics

Blushing
Whitening effect that sometimes occurs when a solvent finish dries

Brighteners
Optical or fluorescent enhancers found in product cleaners

Buffing
Polishing with a pad, cloth or brush

Build Up
Heavy deposit of floor finish, wax, grime or dirt

Builder
A Material that upgrades or protects the cleaning efficiency of a surfactant

Burnish
To buff a protective floor coating before it dries to give a hard finish

Cationic Surfactant
Disinfectants and sanitisers such as alkyl dimenthyl benzyl ammonium chloride known as quarternary ammonium compounds

Caustic
Having a burning, corroding or dissolving chemical reaction

Chelating Agent
Additives in detergents for inactivating the minerals in water that interfere with cleaning

Chemical Cleaning
A method that uses chemical cleaning agents to remove soil instead of mechanical or abrasive agents

Chlorine Bleach
Strong oxidising agents found in sodium hypochlorite. It removes stains, aids soil removal, whitens disinfects and deodorises laundry

Cidal or ‘Cide`
Agents with the ability to kill micro—organisms

Clarity
The clearness of a liquid

Cleaning
Locating, identifying, containing, removing and disposing of undesirable substances from the environment

Cleanser
Powdered or liquid product containing abrasives, surfactants and bleach

Concentrate
An undiluted form of a dilutable cleaning product

Contaminate
To pollute, make unclean or dirty

Corrosion Inhibitor
Protects the wearing away of surfaces

Damp Mopping
Process of using a damp cloth or mop lightly wrung in detergent and water to remove lightly soiled surfaces

Decontaminate
To remove the contamination

Defoamers
A substance used to reduce or eliminate foam

Degreaser
A chemical product specially formulated to remove grease and oil

Deodorant
Destroys, masks or eliminates offensive odours

Detergent
Cleaning and washing agent used for the removal of soils with a composition other than soap

Dilute
To reduce the strength of a concentrate by adding water

Dirt
Any foul or filthy substance

Dirt Retention
A high level of which is when soil has been worked into a surface easily

Dirty
Unclean, undesirable or unpleasant

Disinfectant
A product that destroys harmful bacteria and viruses on surfaces

Drain Cleaner
Chemical product that cleans solid grease and other materials embedded in drains

Dry
To remove moisture from a surface

Durability
The wearing quality of a finish

Dust
Light particles suspended in air

Dusting Product
Product that dispenses a fine mist or spray that picks up and retains light dust and soil

Eliminate
To remove an undesirable substance

Emulsification
Detergent action that breaks up fats and oils into small droplets

Epoxy
A shortened name for a class of synthetic resins

Finish
A protective coating used as a top coat

Floor Machine
A Power driven machine used to remove soil by scrubbing, buffing or burnishing floor surfaces

Foaming Agent
A material that increases the production of bubbles in liquid

Fungi
Advanced multicellular organisms that are infectious and harmful, examples are mold and mildew

Fungicide
Chemical agent that destroys fungi

Furniture Cleaner-Polish
Liquid, paste or aerosol product to remove dust and stains from furniture

Germicide
Substance that kills germs

Gloss
A surface lustre

Grease
A sticky soil

Hand Cleanser
Cleaner that removes oil, grease and other products from your hands

Hydrochloric Acid
Used in different quantities to clean toilets

Hydrophilic Fibres
Fibres that absorb water easily

Hydrophobic Fibres
Fibres that do not absorb water easily

Inorganic Alkaline Detergent
Water soluble detergent that contains no soap or synthetics

Low Sudsing
Name which describes a product that cleans without foaming or any significant amount of foam

Mechanical Cleaning
Process of removing dirt or soil by manual scrubbing or use of abrasives

Mild Cleaner
A product that is non damaging to the surface being cleaned

Neutral Cleaner
Non—alkaline, non—acid cleaner

Non-Chlorine Bleach
A product used in laundry for bleaching that contains peroxygen compounds which releases active oxygen in the water

Nonionic Surfactant
Active agent found to be especially effective in removing oily soil

Pathogens
Micro-organisms that cause disease

Pesticide
Agent which destroys, repels and prevents pests

Phosphorus Acid
Common acid used in bowl cleaners and in light duty detergents

Pine Oil
Oil processed from gum trees, used in hard surface cleaning and disinfecting.

Pine Oil Cleaner
A liquid cleaner containing pine oil and detergents. Used to dissolve fatty acids, paints and tars whilst disinfecting, sanitising and deodorising

Polish
To shine, make smooth or glossy

Pre-Soak
A soaking operation before washing to remove stains

Pre—Spot
Removal of obvious stains before general cleaning

Redeposition
A condition of soil settling back on a cleaned surface before the cleaning product is removed

Rinsability
The ease of being rinsed or completely washed away

Sanitiser
An agent which reduces but doesn't completely destroy bacteria

Saponification
Process of converting fat into soap or to remove grease and oil

Sealer
A coating designed to protect a surface

Soap
A natural cleaning agent produced by the reaction of a fat or oil to an alkali

Sodium Hypochlorite
Bleaching and disinfecting agent

Soils
A group of substances that attach themselves to surfaces creating a pollutant

Solvents
A liquid which dissolves another substance, water being the most common

Spray Buff
A Floor cleaning procedure that cleans, removes black marks and shines an area of flooring

Squeegee
A tool with a rubber edge to remove water from floors and windows

Sterilisation
Process of killing all forms of microbial life including fungi, viruses, spores and vegetive bacteria

Stripper
A detergent that breaks down wax or paint without damaging the underlying surface

Suds
A foam or lather generated on or in a detergent solution

Surfactant
Surface-active ingredient that increases foaming, dispersing, spreading, emulsifying and wetting properties of a product

Suspension
Cleaning products that hold insoluble dirt and grime and keep them from being deposited back onto the surface

Synthetic (Soapless) Detergents
Made from the by—products of refining crude oil, they lather better and do not form a scum in hard water

Tack Rag
A damp cloth used to remove dust and lint before coating

Tackiness
Being sticky or adhesive