Here’s our quick guide to detergents:
Alkaline: a detergent measuring above pH9.5 works by dissolving fat and emulsifying soils. So an alkaline detergent such as AltroClean 44 is ideal for greasy and organic soils. The more alkaline the detergent, the more effective for removing grease but the more corrosive it becomes, which can damage paintwork so thorough rinsing is very important.
Acidic: a detergent measuring less than pH5 is acidic and a good option for inorganic soils such as lime scale.
Neutral: neutral detergents (pH7) are less aggressive and contain fewer chemicals. This makes them more user-friendly, with less environmental impact. They are effective on everyday levels of contamination across a range of surfaces, but will not cope as well with heavy soiling. They are also not as effective for greasy dirt and fats where an alkaline detergent would be more suitable.
Combined disinfectant detergent/cleaning sanitiser: when cleaning organic soil such as food or human waste, this reduces bacteria growth, which is important when maintaining hygienic standards.
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