Why choose a neutral floor cleaner?

When it comes to floor cleaners, you may just always bulk buy bleach, order the same old product or even pick whatever comes to hand first. We understand that floor cleaner isn’t going to be your number one priority and at first glance, perhaps all the products look the same.

However, we’d like to quickly draw your attention to something a little bit different; an alternative floor cleaning product which is safer and kinder while still being sparklingly effective. Allow us to introduce you to neutral floor cleaner.

• What is a neutral floor cleaner?

A neutral floor cleaner is a mild detergent that can be used daily to clean floors, removing dirt while protecting surfaces from damage and being kinder to the user. What’s significant is that it is chemically neutral with a pH level of neutral.

• What do pH levels mean for cleaning products?

Cleaning products often have either a very high or low pH level. The pH scale ranges between 0 and 15. Products with a pH level between 0 and 6 are acidic while those from 8 to 14 are alkaline. In the middle you have a pH level of 7 which is known as ‘pH neutral’. To put it in context, pure water has a pH of 7 and the human body’s pH level averages at 7.4.

Both acidic and alkaline cleaners can have their merits. Acidic products are harsher and are effective at removing mineral deposits such as limescale, tackling rust, polishing metal and removing soap residue. At the other end of the scale, alkaline products include bleach, ammonia and drain cleaner and are particularly corrosive – removing organic residues such as oils, fats, grease and stubborn grime.

• What are the downsides of using acidic or alkaline floor cleaner?

Acidic and alkaline floor cleaners can both be corrosive with the potential to irritate skin, damage surfaces and release toxic fumes. Improper use of these harsh products can cause harm to both health and materials, creating a health and safety risk you just don’t need for your organisation. When using these products, users are advised to wear suitable protective equipment such as gloves and to ensure good ventilation so that any strong VOCs (volatile organic compounds) released by them are not breathed in. When it comes to damage, they can tarnish flooring, corrode surfaces and even strip away the finish of a floor so are not always suitable for everyday use and should be avoided on certain materials.

• What are the benefits of using a neutral floor cleaner?

There are plenty of benefits of using a neutral floor cleaner; they are kinder and safer to users as well as to your premises and they’re also remarkably effective. Here are just some of the benefits:

• Kind to skin: As a neutral floor cleaner has a similar pH level to humans, it is not harmful to skin. This means it’s not likely to irritate skin or cause adverse reactions to the user, making it kinder and safer.
• They won’t damage surfaces: Neutral floor cleaners are kind to surfaces, meaning they won’t harm materials they come into contact with, keeping your flooring protected from damage as well as clean.
• Avoid permanent bleach stains: If any spillages occur, the risk of damage to furniture and furnishings is mitigated by using a neutral floor cleaner. Whereas spilled bleach would immediately stain if it landed on carpets or furnishings, a neutral cleaner can be quickly wiped up without causing permanent damage.
• Safe for natural surfaces: When using a neutral floor cleaner, you don’t have to worry about it tarnishing, staining or damaging surfaces. As long as the surface is safe to use water on, it’s also safe for a neutral floor cleaner.
• Protects floor finishes: As acidic and alkaline cleaners are corrosive, with the latter used as floor stripper to remove floor finishes, they can risk ruining the finish to your flooring. Alternatively, a neutral floor cleaner will clean your flooring without impacting its finish.
• Perfect for polished floors and sensitive surfaces: Neutral floor cleaner is designed with sensitive surfaces in mind so you can rest assured they can be cleaned effectively without being damaged or reducing the shine on polished flooring.
• No residue: Neutral floor cleaners are easily rinsed, leaving behind either little or no residue so you won’t have sticky, tacky or slippery floors after they’ve been cleaned.
• Easy to use: Neutral floor cleaners need no specialist preparation. For instance, the soluCLEAN Neutral Floor Cleaner from phs Direct is sold in convenient single-use soluble sachets. Simply place a sachet into your cleaning bucket and it will dissolve once in contact with water, releasing the concentrated powder and eliminating the need to touch and handle the product itself. What’s more, the soluCLEAN Neutral Floor Cleaner is packed in a resealable, compostable stand-up pouch which can make up to 50, 5-litre mop bucket solutions. Each pouch can save an average of 200g of single-use plastic compared to conventional 5-litre concentrated floor cleaning products.

Are you converted to the virtues of a neutral floor cleaner for your flooring? Make the switch today by visiting the phs Direct site.