Recently J-Guard Professional cleaning services company in Kerala had a chat with the clean guru. The topic was on the increasing demand in acid wash cleaning services in Kochi, Ernakulam. We thought if we record this conversation it would be great for everyone who is going to do acid wash cleaning service for their houses or for those who don't know about acid washing. Clean Guru had in-depth knowledge on this topic. Read through the whole article to know more about acid washing.

Points that are covered in this blog:

What is acid?

What are the different types of cleaning acids?

What acid is used for floor and toilet acid washing?

What are the steps for acid washing inside a house?

Safety measures for conducting an acid wash

Advantages of acid wash-cleaning toilets and floors

Disadvantages of acid wash-cleaning toilets and floors

What Is an Acid?

Well, this question can be answered in terms of chemistry which will be “a molecule capable of receiving an electron pair in return of donating a proton in a chemical reaction”.This conversation being about cleaning let me simplify it. Acid is a chemical which is capable of turning the litmus into a reddish colour. It has a sour taste. It is recommended not to taste it if you do not know the intensities and types of acids. There are high chances that you may burn your tongue.

The food we eat sometimes contain acid. The apt example of it would be lemon or vinegar in our food. Many fruits contain acid. our body secretes acids to digest our food.

Acids are of different intensities, the ph value determines the intensities of acid.If the pH value near to 7 it's almost neutral. If it is near to 1 it is very acidic.

2. What are the different types of cleaning acids?

Generally, the most used and popular acids are citric acid(lemon juice), acetic acid and hydrochloric acid.

It is so mild that we can use it on our skin for cleansing effect and it helps to remove all dust, dirt and even odour from our body.

Acetic acid is the most commonly used acid and its pH value is around 2.4

It is used for removing the water deposits on stainless steel taps and other steel surfaces in washrooms and kitchens. It is a very good sterilizer and deodorant. It helps in removing all kinds of bad odour in refrigerators, freezers, toilet rooms etc.

Acetic acid is the main ingredient in vinegar and removes rust better than any other chemical or soap.

Concentrated acetic acid is available in the market as Glacial Acetic acid. It is the main ingredient in almost all types of cleaning chemicals from glass cleaner to floor cleaner. If you buy any chemical used for cleaning stainless steel accessories, smell it and you will get the familiar smell of vinegar.

The strongest acid among the group is hydrochloric acid and its pH value is around 1.1

Its the strongest and the most acidic among the three. It is the final solution to any non-removable stains and is commonly used in cleaning toilet bowls. Harpic, a popular toilet cleaning brand is just hydrochloric acid made more viscous by adding colour and acid thickener into it.

Hydrochloric acid releases a high amount of fumes and burns skin if contacted, so we have to be highly cautious when handling it.

Hydrochloric acid should not be used in cleaning delicate surfaces like fabric or even floor tiles without proper dilutions as there is a high chance of acid damaging the surface of contact.

When we use the term ‘acid wash’, the acid used here is mostly hydrochloric acid.

Sulphuric acid is another very strong acid and is used for clearing drainage and other outdoor uses only.

Mixing of these acids with any other solution is highly dangerous and is not recommended.

3. What acid is used for floor and toilet acid washing?

For floor acid washing, we can use either acetic acid or hydrochloric acid aka HCL depending on the intensity or magnitude of dirt on the floor.

For floor acid washing, we can use either acetic acid or hydrochloric acid aka HCL depending on the intensity or magnitude of dirt on the floor.

For toilet acid washing we use HCL for toilet bowl and wall tiles and acetic acid for taps and stainless steel accessories.

Enquiring a hardware shop near you, if you refer to cleaning acid the shopkeeper reaches for the hydrochloric acid by default.

4. What are the steps for acid washing inside a house?

Evacuate the house before the work and the workers should get equipped with PPE (personal protection equipment.

Analyze the magnitude of dirt or mineral deposits by scrubbing with a brush.

Dilute the acid according to the requirement understood in the above step.(only professionals can determine this easily if you are a beginner starting from 1:6 dilution with water and test. Slowly reduce the dilution to achieve the result)

Spray the solution on to the wall tiles and pour on to the surface uniformly. If not uniform there would be colour differences on the surface.

Leave the surface for some time giving a reaction time. Time range would be from 5 to 15 minutes again depending on the magnitude of the dirt or till the effervescent reaction stops.

Pour more water after the reaction time to further dilute it.

Scrub the area to be cleaned. It can be noticed that even with minute scrubbing the dirt comes out of the surface.

Spray more water to wash away the dirt that has been detached from the surface

Remove the water either by wiping it out to the drain or wet vacuuming

Wipe the area and leave it for 12 hours to get rid of the chemical smell or apply some scent if necessary.

Acid washing is the ultimate method to clean any debris out of tiles and ceramics. It gives the cleaned object a new look. If the scrubbing of mineral stains is not working, try scrubbing with sandpaper. It will surely work.

5. Safety measures for conducting an acid wash

Hydrochloric acid even though is one of the best cleansers out there, it is not very eco-friendly. There are some health hazards associated with it. So make sure all the safety measures are strictly followed under proper professional guidance to avoid any accidents or misuse.

Wear a Mask: The mask should cover your mouth and nose. The high-intensity fumes if inhaled causes many lung disorders. The mask should be of very high quality.

Wear Eye protector: A good quality transparent eyewear is recommended because of the fumes. The fumes cause eye irritation.

Wear PPE: Personal protection equipment like coverall is recommended so that the acid doesn't spill and burn your skin.

Adequate ventilation is necessary or it might be suffocating.

All the tenants should be evacuated because there is the least probability that they have the PPE ready with them.

Only enter the room or house after a minimum time of 12 hours to be least affected by the acid fumes.

Only use acid wash if it is really necessary to do so.

6. Advantages of acid wash-cleaning the toilets and floors

It helps in cleaning the floors and wall tiles more easily

Dirt reacts with the acid and loosens itself out of the surface

Gives a new look feel.

Kills germs and other viruses on the surface

Speeds up the cleaning process

The chemical is not very costly

7. Disadvantages of acid wash-cleaning the toilets and floors

cannot do Sofa shampooing or any fabric cleaning with it. Click here to know how to clean sofa.

Removes a thin layer of the surface thereby reducing the life of the surface.

Fumes are dangerous.

Lack of knowledge in doing the process may bring adverse effects.

Lack of knowledge in doing the process may bring adverse effects.

There would be a small depreciation of colour.

Spills may cause burns

Only applicable to tiles and ceramic surfaces.

If applied on plastic makes it brittle.

The tools used for scrubbing would get damaged.

8.Conclusion

Acid wash is a great way to get rid of the mineral stains and other hard stains. It is not at all recommended for regular cleaning because of its disadvantages. Regular soaps of higher acidity can be used for regular cleaning instead. Always prefer acid cleaning as the last resort.

Also, go through the survey article published by "The Hindu"