Cleaning textiles: Correctly washed and prepared Many factors interact

Preparing cleaning textiles is not trivial but plays an extremely important role in professional cleaning and maintenance. Only clean textiles that are in perfect technical condition ensure the proper cleaning and maintenance results that satisfy all involved parties. This article discusses all of the salient points.In general: microfiber textiles are easier to clean than cotton because they release dirt more easily. Photo: rationell reinigenNowadays, cleaning textiles are technical products that require special cleaning and care. However, traditional washing procedures are still often used, sometimes out of ignorance or too great an emphasis on frugality. Not only does this lead to insufficiently clean textiles, it also reduces their service life. Correct care significantly extends the service life of cleaning textiles and prevents most mistakes, which are often homegrown. Correct preparation does not have to be complicated. Contrary to frequent opinion, the professional and proper preparation of cleaning textiles does not require the investment of a great deal of money. Correctly treated, cleaning textiles last significantly longer, which relativizes the costs. In addition, a company that delivers unsatisfactory cleaning performance due to old, badly washed cleaning textiles, loses out. Generally, frequent washing leads to physical and chemical stress on mop covers. The resulting damage cannot be completely avoided, but it can be minimized by the right preparation so that the covers are not only clean but have a longer service life as well. It is very important, however, not to overlook the right point for replacing a mop cover. The above-mentioned changes gradually diminish the cleaning performance of any mop cover. At some point, the cover is not only inadequate but only distributes the dirt more. Typical: Gray mop coversOne common phenomenon, for example, is the gradual graying of microfiber covers. This graying may have several causes. In the simplest case, the abrasion of the fiber surfaces results from usage and the constant friction that is part of the cleaning process. Because they are no longer smooth, the fibers scatter the light and appear to be gray. Under a microscope, it would be apparent that the fibers are still actually white. As long as the mechanical abrasion of the fibers is not too extreme, this type of graying is not detrimental for cleaning surfaces. A cleaning textile must not be pure white to clean. It is a different story, however, when dirt residues remain caught in the microfibers during preparation. This also leads to graying. Residues like these do reduce the cleaning performance of the textiles. These residues may consist of lime deposits, lime soaps or insoluble compounds of positively and negatively charged surfactants. Thus, any cleaning or disinfection chemicals remaining in the cleaning textiles after use should be removed during pre-washing. If this is not done, especially if there are still disinfectants in the cleaning textile, these disinfectants may negatively interact with cleaning agents. The often positively charged disinfectants, so-called quaternary ammonia compounds, react with the mostly negatively charged detergent components, the so-called anionic surfactants, to form macromolecular organic compounds. These are no longer water-soluble but become embedded in the cleaning textiles and clog the fibers. The mop begins to smear; its ability to absorb water and pick up dirt is reduced, and the textile grays. An insufficient number of rinses after the main washing cycle leads to residues of anionic detergent surfactants in the cleaning textile. These can then react with the cationic surfactants from surface disinfection agents. This leads to so-called soap failure, i.e. a reduction or even complete lack of any surface disinfection. Microfiber and cotton: A comparisonMany factors determine the ease of preparing different fibers. The major influences are their condition – their age and quality –, the type of dirt, the preparation method and so on. In general, however, microfibers are easier to clean because they release the dirt more easily. In contrast to cotton, the dirt cannot penetrate and catch in the fibers and be caught there. This results in shorter wash processes and fewer rinsing cycles. But microfiber covers differ from cotton covers in yet other points. The most obvious difference is the material. While cotton is a natural product, microfibers are synthetic, usually made of polyester and/or nylon. The fiber diameter is also different. Microfibers are less than 1 dtex, i.e. 10,000 meters of yarn weigh less than one gram, while cotton fibers are approximately ten to 30-times thicker. Individual microfibers can also be structured. In comparison to cotton, this results in a much larger fiber surface and in comparison, greater water absorbency. Due to their large surface and effective capillary force, dirt and moisture can be easily dissolved or picked up from the dirty surface. Microfiber covers also release water much more uniformly and thus, more advantageously. Due to their larger surface area, microfiber covers can create more friction – especially when wet mopping – which requires more physical effort. Good microfiber covers made with modern materials, however, now have very good gliding properties. In healthcare, the use of microfibers for high-performance mop covers is the state of the art. But even some newer building materials, for example fine stoneware tiles, can only be satisfactorily cleaned with microfiber covers. Only extremely thin microfibers are capable of penetrating the fine pores of these microporous surface tiles and removing dirt and moisture. Normally, microfiber covers are also characterized by greater wear-resistance. Although the thicker cotton fibers can also absorb a relatively great deal of moisture, in the worst case they may only move around surface dirt and leave residues. They also release less water than microfibers. The result is greater washing weight during every wiping motion, greater residual dampness, and thus longer drying times. In areas where a great deal of water remains on the surface or must be removed, however, cotton covers are very good. The wear resistance of cotton when mopping, as well as during its preparation, greatly depends on the type of cotton used. A lower staple length always means lower wear-resistance of the yarn. In many cases, the best mop cover can only be found through testing due to the great number of available fiber combinations (cotton + synthetic fiber + viscose) or bristle types (fringes, loops, combinations of both). If both types of covers, i.e. microfiber and cotton, are to be used, they must always be separately washed. Otherwise, the friction that results from washing can lead to the abrasion of the cotton textiles. This creates cotton lint that remains in the microfibers and cannot usually be completely removed. The result? A permanent reduction in the cleaning performance of the microfiber covers. Properly preparing cleaning textilesBefore preparing cleaning textiles, the washing machine should first be inspected. Flawless operation of the washing machine is crucial for washing quality. It should be examined before use to make sure, for example, that the water intake and draining hoses are not bent or squeezed. Any dirt or foreign bodies in the drum, the rubber seal, or the detergent compartment must also be removed. For professional and correct cleaning, household washing machines should not be used. They do not usually have the special programs necessary for cleaning the sometimes heavily soiled cleaning textiles. Neither do they have suitable disinfection programs with the necessary dwell times. The rinse and spin programs that are sometimes needed after the main wash cycle are also not available in household washing machines. A further problem is their often integrated sensors. At the beginning of the wash program, these machines pump water into the machine until the usually dry household laundry can no longer absorb any more. This acts as a load control, so to speak. Cleaning textiles, however, are usually wet and can hardly absorb any additional water as it is. The machine would thus determine that it had a seemingly small load and would not pump enough water into the drum for the first washing bath. In addition, the detergent used for the cleaning textiles should always conform to the type of textile, the type of dirt, and the application the mops are used for. The instructions of the textile or soap manufacturer must always be followed. A general-purpose detergent may not be adequate for correctly cleaning all mops and may even be detrimental. When using detergent, under- or over-dosing should always be avoided because it can also negatively affect the cleaning results. Too much detergent may lead to residues in the cleaning textile. The textile might lose its capacity to pick up water and dirt; combined with surface disinfectants, this could cause undesirable reactions when cleaning – the previously mentioned soap failure. A much too high dose can potentially lead to pH values over eleven that damage the material. Doses that are too low lead to bad cleaning results. Dirt residues remain in the mop cover, which can lead to lime scale. This also reduces absorption capacity. Lime deposits may also harden the textile, which in turn damages the fibers in the backing material, both in the loops or pile, or even the seams. The correct washing process can be described as follows: Check the washing machine before washing. Do not use a household washing machine.Remove coarse dirt from the mop cover before washing.Separate cotton and microfiber textiles.Do not overfill the washing machine.Use the correct dose of the right laundry detergent. If necessary, use only suitable disinfection procedures.Select the correct washing program; if available, a mop washing program with pre-wash or pre-rinsing. Don’t use temperatures higher than specified by the detergent manufacturer.Do not prematurely interrupt the wash program.After washing the textiles, immediately reuse them again or dry them completely before storage. They should also be dried correctly, according to type; the drying temperature should not be hotter than necessary.When preparing cleaning textiles used in hygienically sensitive areas, hygiene aspects are especially important. Dr. Patrick Casper | markus.targiel@holzmann-medien.de

Cleaning textiles: Correctly washed and prepared Many factors interact

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