RESIDUES: Good or Bad?

The word “residue”, when used in the cleaning industry, is almost always seen in a negative light. Residues can result in resoiling, wicking, yellowing, odors, harsh textures, skin irritations, and many more headaches for both the cleaner and the consumer.

Looked at objectively, residues are really only “bad” when they create a problem. Bad residues come primarily from the following:

• Inferior cleaning detergents that promote resoiling
• Over use of properly formulated detergents
• Odor control treatments that are not designed to be left in the carpet fibers after cleaning
• Odor control treatments that are incompatible with cleaning agents or stain resistant finishes
• Other post treatment products such as silicone carpet protectors, laundry fabric softeners, etc.

All of the above mentioned materials can create considerable aggravation for the cleaner and the consumer.

HOWEVER: There Are Good Residues As Well!

The most obvious example of a good residue would be the fluorochemical protective treatments, such as Scotchgard™ and Teflon™. The residue that these products leave on carpet and upholstery help to repel oil, water, as well as dry soils. This residue actually lengthens the useful life and appearance of the consumers’ furnishings.

Another example of a good residue would be the revolutionary encapsulation products that have recently exploded onto the marketplace. Encapsulant products have superior cleaning qualities that keep on working after application to
enhance better soil removal during subsequent vacuuming, and this type of residue also works to prevent wicking.

Interestingly, encapsulants are also able to remove finer particles of soils that otherwise remain and leave dull traffic areas after conventional hot water extraction. Encapsulants are not only used in shampoo type operations, but are now present in some hot water extraction detergents, acid rinses, and even as stand alone post treatments to prevent wicking.

In the past, in many cases, abused commercial carpet was rinsed thoroughly to minimize residues that might contribute to wicking or resoiling. [A time consuming and laborious task] Today, commercial carpet cleaning experts are finding that using the help of an encapsulating “residue” will better control wicking and resoiling than low residue rinsing [with unbelievable time savings].

Finally, there are cleaning detergents that leave residual antimicrobial treatments on the carpet to keep the carpet fresh smelling by inhibiting the growth of bacteria and fungi. These residues are also very desirable for the long term health benefits that they provide.

Switch your paradigm, and realize that in some cases, the BEST thing that you can do for your customer, is to leave a (appropriate) residue on their carpet!

Acid Rinses

Over the past two decades many cleaners have shifted from the use of alkaline carpet cleaning detergents to the use of acidic rinse agents.  Cleaners began to become concerned about potential cleaning residues, and while some attempted to solve the problem by rinsing with clear water alone, others chose to use existing chemistry to attempt to neutralize pH as well as rinse cleaning agent residues from carpet.

The products they first tried were already available, and had been on the market for several years already:  Acidic Rinse Agents.

These products were primarily used for rinsing upholstery after preconditioning, and their primary purpose was (and still is) to be used for stabilizing dyes, preventing cellulose browning, and softening velvet and chenille fabrics.

These products still work for carpet, but have mostly been replaced by products that act as cleaning agents as well as neutralizing agents.  These products are acidic in pH, and do help to neutralize preconditioning agents, but have the added benefit of providing cleaning as well as neutralization.   With these acidic cleaning (rather than rinsing) agents, you need not precondition the entire carpet, but instead only the parts that have heavy accumulations of petroleum, proteins, or fats.