Several cleaning products and water were selected based on the client supplied information about current dusting practices. All cleaning products were used at 2.4 % and water was used at full strength. To simulate the dust, the lab created a mixture of AATCC synthetic carpet soil and white flour in the ratio of 1:2. A small portion, 0.4 g, of this artificial dust soil was distributed evenly across a white plastic tray (16"x14") with roller. Once soiled, a cloth was sprayed with a cleaning solution and wiped across the surface to remove the soil. After the cleaning procedure, observations were made to rank cleaners based on visual analysis.
Visual observation included:
1)Measuring the cleaning time
2)Measuring the frequency of wipe
3)Estmiating the amount of remaining dust on surface
4)Estimating the amount remaining dust on microfiber
All cleaners showed over than 90% removal of the contaminant. The table below shows the amounts of soil was removed by each cleaning solution. The current product, Neutral Disinfectant had the best performance but the other products were comparable in performance without a significant increase in cleaning times.
| Cleaner
|
Time (sec)
|
No. wipes
|
Dust Remaining(%)
|
Dust on microfiber (rank)
|
| TMI Neutral Disinfection
|
30
|
5
|
Over 95%
|
1
|
| DFE 401
|
30
|
5
|
90~95%
|
2
|
| PC 220
|
49
|
6
|
Over 95%
|
4
|
| PC101
|
40
|
6
|
Over 95%
|
2
|
| Water
|
28
|
5
|
90~95%
|
5
|
| Dry wipe
|
36
|
7
|
85~90%
|
6
|
TMI Neural Disinfection is the most effective cleaner in test, but the effectiveness was not significantly different than other cleaners. All four cleaners were good enough to remove the dust on surface.