CAR CARE: WASHING YOUR CAR Ever wonder what ingredients are in your favorite car cleaning product?? How do they work? Which ones are the best?? Most consumer & commercial grade products contain some form of surfactants. These act in many different ways, from reacting with oil/dirt, reacting with water and creating foam. These surfacants are commonly used in a variety of products including cosmetics, dish liquids, laundry soaps and even toothpaste!. Some brands incorporate fragrances, or benzonates (acts as a SPF/UV blocker), while others use strictly synthetic polymers and surfactants. Regardless of the product you choose, the manufacturer is regulated by EPA standards to use biodegradable chemicals to reduce & limit VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) footprints. Most of these products have warnings as mild eye & skin irritants. Never mix these products with alkaline or peroxides. You may experience diminished results if you have hard water as magnesium and iron will deactivate the active properties of the surfactants.. HOW DO THEY WORK: Believe it or not, those surfactants (organic or synthetic), consist of the one thing youd never want on your car...SALT!!! Sodium Chloride and Sodium Sulfates found in these products react with dirt and bacteria to help loosen and break down debris. The other chemicals react with the water to help suspend the dirt, waiting for you to rinse it away! Normally, these salts make up about 2-3% of the product. WHICH PRODUCTS ARE THE BEST: There isnt really a better that the rest product, since they are all using the same chemicals. Even the synthetic washes which are 100% biodegradable and 100% VOC are using the same commercially available chemicals. Stay away from dish washing liquids as they contain higher amounts of sodium surfactants/sulfates, preservatives and solvents. Dawn, although renowned for its grease cutting abilities contains not only sodium sulfates, but sodium chloride as well. If you are interested in the ingredients used by your favorite products, MSDS sheets are free information and must be released by the manufacturer. If the product has no list of chemicals, then it is 100% synthetic and 100% VOC compliant.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 20:03:59 +0000