Attention: cleaning instructors and technicians, Currently, at the request of the IICRC, I am conducting a peer review of the proposed revision of the IICRC S100 carpet cleaning standard. The IICRC has requested our input in improving this important document before its publication. After spending several hours working on this peer review, I am convinced that a common-sense review on your part will make this standard more useable, especially since it will set standards for how we teach carpet cleaning, and how we clean carpet in our businesses, and in the communities we serve. Your perspective and input is important. For example, Section 2.6.1 of the proposed revision currently reads: 2.6.1 For Wet Solvent or Aqueous Cleaning Water is excluded as a primary solvent if either the soil cannot be reasonably made water soluble or the material being cleaned has poor compatibility with water. Water may be also contraindicated where drying is hastened, and necessitated dry times may be achieved through hydrocarbon solvents that have greater volatility. . . . poor compatibility with water. Water soluble, perhaps? . . . contraindicated where drying is hastened, and necessitated dry times . . . achieved through hydrocarbon solvents that have greater volatility. Perhaps a better and more accurate way to say this would be: 2.6.1 Wet Cleaning Do not use water if soils are not water soluble. Also, when rapid drying is a priority, minimize the use of water. On the surface – and ignoring the complex language used for the moment – this might seem to be a valid statement. However, in light of the fact that this S100 revision will serve as the industry “standard of care” (to be read by field technicians and even ESL students), if we examine this single statement closely, several points emerge: 1. According to studies by Proctor and Gamble and others, some 74-79% of carpet soil is insoluble (55% sand, quartz, clay, feldspar, limestone; 12% hair and dander; 12% vegetable matter) although the writers appear to be focusing on oily soils (some 10% of the average carpet soil sample) that, “. . . cannot be reasonably made water soluble . . .” Therefore, a majority carpet soil would fall under this provision. 2. The alternative suggested is, “hydrocarbon solvents that have greater volatility.” The term “volatility” suggests that the authors are referring to dry cleaning solvents. Hydrocarbon solvents are petroleum distillates. Petroleum solvents, depending on the degree of distillation, are, at a minimum: a. poor cleaners, compared to water-based solutions; b. combustible or flammable; c. far more toxic than water-based detergents (lower TLVs or PELs); d. far more expensive than water; e. required to be disposed as a regulated waste, and f. illegal to use in some jurisdictions. 3. Water-based detergents on the other hand: a. are effective cleaners; b. are inexpensive to use; c. separate and suspend (forming micelles) insoluble particle soils; d. emulsify or saponify oily soils; e. dissolve water-soluble soils; f. have low or no toxicity issues; g. are not combustible or flammable, and h. can be disposed in sanitary (treated) sewer systems. And this is just one paragraph! The point is that the IICRC has requested and needs your voluntary help with this peer review. I encourage you, and your colleagues, to visit the IICRC web site and download a copy of the proposed S100 revision for your evaluation and review.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 17:12:05 +0000
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