The most important variable in the study was the choice of cleaners. The team
investigated fifteen possible cleaners for inclusion in the study. Possible cleaners are
shown in Table 1. The chemical action of these cleaners includes acids, bases, alcohols,
chelating agents, solvents, surfactants, and bactericides.
Acids and bases are strong chemical cleaners that work on the basis of the pH of the
product. Products such as the Stone Kleen contain ammonium bifloride that easily
converts to hydrofluoric acid, a strong acid that can chemically etch and potentially
damage the surface of a stone. On the other end of the spectrum is the Kandu product, a
low foaming cleaner containing sodium hydroxide, a basic compound.
Alcohols work on the basis of dissolving dirt and grease. They tend to evaporate quickly
and are less likely to leave chemical residues. They may be one component of a multicomponent
cleaning system. Four of the products, including World Environmental group
Marble Cleaner, incorporate alcohols into their formulas.
Chelating agents work on the premise that the cleaner will bind the dirt or grime to itself
in order to remove the soiling. Some products containing chelating agents include Stone
Quest, Zep-A-One, and World Environmental Group Multi Surface Cleaner 1000.
Solvents work similarly to alcohols in that they dissolve the soiling and may be a
component of a more complex cleaning system. Only the product GK125 is listed as a
solvent-based cleaner. Solvents are incorporated into some of the other cleaning systems.
Surfactants are wetting agents that lower the surface tension on a liquid allowing for
easier spreading. Surfactants also allow grease and oils to be diluted and mixed into
water and washed away. They are commonly found in cleaning detergents. Stone Quest,
Multi Surface Cleaner 1000, Zep-A-One, World Environmental Group Marble Cleaner,
D/2, Kodak Photo-Flo, and Kodak Hypo Clear all contain surfactants.
Bactericides are chemicals that kill bacteria and are commonly found in disinfectants,
antiseptics, or antibiotics. One group of bactericides contain cationic surfactants such as
quarternary ammonium cations. The D/2 product is an example of a bactericide
containing quaternary ammonium cations. Another group of bactericides contain strong
acids. Stone-Kleen is an example of a strong acid bactericide.
Product Name
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
acidic
|
basic
|
alcohol
|
chelate
|
solvent
|
surfactant
|
bactericide
|
Stone Quest Stone Care International
|
|
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
|
GK125 Geokleen Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
X
|
|
|
Multi Surface Cleaner 1000 World Environmental Group, Inc.
|
|
|
X
|
X
|
|
X
|
|
Omni-Green National Plastics and Chemical Corp.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stone-Kleen Mid Atlantic Chemical
|
X
|
|
|
|
|
|
X
|
H2Orange2 Grout Safe Proven Solutions
|
X
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hurricane Intensive
Stone Cleaner National Chemical Laboratories
|
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
|
|
Zep-A-One Zep Manufacturing, Co.
|
|
|
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
Marble Cleaner World Environmental Group, Inc
|
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
X
|
|
Kandu #110 SpaceAge Coating Concepts, Inc.
|
|
X
|
|
|
|
|
|
Daybreak NCH Corporation, Certified Labs
|
|
X
|
|
|
|
|
|
D/2 Sunshine Makers, Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
X
|
X
|
Sodium Bicarbonate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kodak Photo-Flo Kodak Corporation
|
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
X
|
|
Hypo Clear Kodak Corporation
|
|
|
|
X
|
|
X
|
X
|
Table 1. A listing of chemical cleaners considered for testing, including main
The five cleaners chosen for inclusion in the study are shown in Table 2. The team
wished to include cleaners that were environmentally friendly, user friendly, and were
unlikely to damage the stone. Cleaners containing strong acids and bases, such as Stone-
Kleen and Kandu, were eliminated on this basis. Daybreak was the most commonly used
cleaner within the NCA, and thus was included in the study. H2Orange Grout Safe was
chosen to represent an acidic cleaner containing citric acid. D/2 Antimicrobial cleaner
was chosen as a bactericide and cleaner. The team felt that the two products by the
World Environmental Group were very similar in nature and relied on surfactants and
chelating agents. The World Environmental Group Marble (WEG Marble Cleaner) was
chosen for inclusion in the study. The final cleaner selected was the Kodak Photo-Flo
because of its common use in the cemetery cleaning world. Table 3 shows the range of
pH values found for the products chosen for the study.
Table 2. A listing of chemical cleaners chosen for the study, including published pH and component
ingredients.
Cleaner
|
H2Orange2 Grout Safe
|
Kodak Photo-Flo
|
D-2
|
Marble Cleaner
|
Daybreak
|
pH
|
3.81
|
7
|
9.5
|
10.5
|
12.1
|
Table 3. Chosen Cleaners are ordered from Acidic to Basic.