What do you know about rinsing agents?
If you are not aware, rinsing agents are solutions we add to our rinse water either in the
fresh water tank for portables or via the chemical feed if you are running a truck mount.
Some auto fill portable machines also offer the option of attaching a chemical feed.
From the outset we should be aware of some things about our alkaline pre-sprays:
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Alkalinity is conducive to effective cleaning and the higher the pH the more instant
the effect of soil suspension. (Be careful of wool and protected nylon and polyester).
Carpets left in an alkaline state soil more quickly because alkalinity attracts soiling.
Sometimes this can even feel sticky or stiff.
What benefits should you expect from a good rinsing agent?
 Effectively rinse both emulsified soil and pre-sprays.
 Safer for occupants – no over-bearing odours and low in toxicity.
 Minimal residue.
 Aids rather than interferes with carpet drying rate.
So let’s compare the characteristics and advantages/disadvantages of the three rinsing
agents we generally use in carpet and upholstery cleaning.
Water alone:
It is natural that most people would expect that water would offer the best rinse available. It
certainly ticks the fragrance box (Or you would hope it would); it is natural so water
itself doesn’t leave any nasty residues; it is certainly abundant but does it rinse well?
There are some key characteristics of water that we should all be aware of.
1. Water dilutes, but won’t neutralize the effects of (alkaline) pre-spray.
2. Water alone doesn’t suspend dry particulate soils for extraction.
3. Water alone is not good at wetting out carpet fibres. That means it does not
penetrate the fibre well making it a poor qualifier for effective rinsing.
Neutralising rinse:
The neutralising rinse is a mild acid. It is excellent for countering the effect of alkaline presprays. Like pre-spray it contains a surfactant and buffers.
Surfactants (Surface-acting-agents) change the surface tension of a liquid, or between
liquids and solids (IE – Carpet/Soil). We use surfactants as detergents and wetting agents in
our chemicals so that they can be effective: - cleaning agents, rinsing agents, spotting
chemicals and deodorisers etc.
Buffers are used to maintain pH. In Neutralising rinses it helps the pH of the Rinse to
counter the alkalinity of the prespray.
Carpets, and especially wool carpets like to be left in an acidic state.Think of a neutralising
agent like a conditioner for your hair with the pre-spray being the shampoo. The neutralising
effect of the rinsing agent, like a conditioner, will leave the carpet or fabric feeling
considerably softer than the alkaline residue of the pre-spray. Because they contain
surfactants, neutralising rinses also aid in the cleaning so, if you offer them as part of your
service your customer can enjoy cleaner and softer carpets as a result. And they will stay
clean for longer
For Neutralising agents CSL Offer
FINE FABRIC RINSE - FibreTech
Dual task acid rinse: cleaning action and neutralisation of prespray residues
Safe clean (TEXTILE RINSE) - KemSpec
For use as an effective Rinsing Agent after cleaning.
Green Balance Neutralizing Carpet Rinse
This acid side rinse leaves carpet fibers absolutely their cleanest in an environmentally friendly focus.
Emulsifying rinse: Unlike neutralising rinses, Emulsifiers add extra cleaning power on the
alkaline side of the pH scale. They are designed to help boost the cleaning capacity of our
pre-spray. These are not recommended for wool carpets which like to left in a neutral to
mildly acidic state. Emulsifiers are effective in cleaning out pre-spray residues and are
generally self neutralising but not to the same extent as their acidic cousins. They come in
powder and liquid form.
We recommend emulsifiers on heavily soiled commercial and residential jobs.
HEAT ACTION - FibreTech
Premium quality extraction power, ultra high temperature
HOT CLEAN - KemSpec
Developed for constant heat truck mounts and portables.
LIQUID EXTRACTION - FibreTech
High performance extraction liquid, ultra high temperature
Try this simple experiment on a wool carpet (A tight loop like sisal or berber is best for
this demonstration): Place a small amount of water on a piece of unworn carpet. It will
normally bead up. Then add a single drop of surfactant, either a pre-spray or rinsing
agent. Watch it sink into the fibre.
So there is more than ample reason to add rinsing agents to your arsenal of good cleaning
chemicals. If you're using water alone your carpets will not be as effectively clean as those
who use some kind of rinsing agent that has a surfactant. In fact there will be some
detrimental residues left behind from your prespray. If however you are among the more
discerning carpet cleaner and you choose to use these rinses, your customers will reap the
benefits and have cleaner, softer carpets and you will have won a happy customer.
Here’s a comparison between using water alone and using a surfactant based rinsing agent.
Water
Surfactant
Dilutes but does not neutralise
Dilutes and neutralises
Not good wetting agent
Excellent wetting agent
Poor performance at suspending soil
Excellent at suspending soil
From: Rachel Holah
Sent: Friday, 19 April 2013 8:22 a.m.
To: Tim
Subject: Article for newsletter
Hi Tim, thought this was a good article for newsletter at some stage - could you go through it and substitute our Fibretech & Kemspec
equivalents and make any other changes you feel necessary?
Thanks
Did You Know This About Carpet Rinse Agents?
The ideal rinsing solution has several features:
Very effective rinsing of both soil and the prespray used.
Low odor and low toxicity.
Leaves minimal residue.
Does not interfere with carpet drying.
So let's take a look at the characteristics and benefits of three of the most common types
of carpet rinses.
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Water: Some cleaning companies insist on using only hot, fresh water for all rinse
extractions. The benefits of water are that it's cheap, readily available, leaves virtually no
residue or odor (depending on water quality), has reasonably good rinsing efficiency, and
is trusted by all customers. However, two points to keep in mind:
1. Water will dilute, but not neutralize, excess alkalinity that might be left from the
traffic lane cleaner.
2. Water alone is not good at suspending particulate soil for removal from carpet.
Emulsifying rinse: This is a rinse agent that removes the very last traces of soil by
suspending them in solution. In order to be able to do that, and as the term "emulsifying"
implies, a very small bit of additional surfactant and alkalinity is part of the rinse
chemistry. Chemspec's version of an emulsifying rinse is Liquid Formula 90, and Sapphire
Scientific's version is DynaForce.
The soil suspension feature is easy to demonstrate. In the photos below, DynaForce is on
the left; surfactant alone on the right. When soil is suspended, it is readily flushed and
extracted out of the carpet. When soil is not suspended, much of it is left behind during
the cleaning process.
Neutralizing rinse: This is a mildly acidic product, usually with a bit of wetting agent. A
neutralizing rinse reduces excess alkalinity that would otherwise lead to stickiness and
stiffness of the fibers. Thus using a neutralizing rinse leaves the carpet with a nice soft
feel. Neutralizing rinses have a moderate amount of surfactant and buffering. This
buffering is necessary for neutralizing a traffic lane cleaner that has a lot of alkali.
Sapphire Scientifics' version of a neutralizing rinse is FiberSoft and Chemspec offers All
Fiber Textile Rinse. Something to be aware of is that neutralizing rinse overspray can
damage acid sensitive surfaces, such as polished marble, so best to protect such surfaces
from the overspray.
Typically there is no one universal approach to the selection of the best type of rinse
agent. Each job requires experience and judgment to select the right rinse agent. Legend
Brands can provide the proper chemistry and tools for all cleaning and restoration
requirements, from their Chemspec and Sapphire Scientific brands of products.