Role of Water | Synergy Americas

The Role of Water in Cleaning

Solvents, Surfactants & Vehicles:

As mentioned in our previous post, most cleaning compounds (soaps & detergents) are made up of 3 components: a solvent to break the soil free from the surface, a surfactant to contain the soil in the vehicle, which is generally water.

Surface Tension of Water:

Water does not naturally spread, saturate, or even collect and contain soils. This is easily seen in a glass containing water and a few drops of oil. The two clearly keep to themselves until there is the introduction of the detergent that…

breaks the bond of the surface of the water; and
emulsifies the oily soil into suspension in the water.

This is a simple process to accomplish and takes only a microscopic amount of surfactant to accomplish – and it may be achieved with either dry or liquid compounds.

The Sustainable Brilliance of Water:

Water, employed as the vehicle for cleaning, is one of the most efficient exercises in sustainability possible. The world’s problem with the current state of cleaning is that far to great a percentage of cleaning products are 95+% water, sitting bottled in various container, on retail shelves, in warehouses and carried in transit. Using super concentrates (see our Synergy SB solutions line) or chlorine dioxide solutions (prepared on-site with water) to create cleaning solutions (see Envirotab), allow for water to be used, evaporated and returned to the local supply without hindrance.