Special Agents at Work: The Raw Ingredients that Power Improved Cleaning: Agent #1 Accelerant for Powdered Peroxide

One pizza company used the effective branding statement, “Better Ingredients Makes Better Pizza”. This statement holds true to making better cleaning solutions. Just like there are grades of cheese, pepperoni, sauce, etc., there are grades of raw materials used in making cleaning solutions.

The different grades of d’limonene are among the more obvious to the cleaner. Distillates, technical grade, and food-grade are distinguished by the consistency of the fragrance. The odor of a poor distillate will not easily be forgotten.

The amount of the ingredient used in any formula matters. However, we need to go beyond the quality and amount of the ingredient and also find special ingredients with core performance features that improve cleaning results. It is important to properly select ingredients that highlight a core feature that creates unique cleaning solutions and provides consistent results.

Each blog in this series will focus on a different feature brought about by a distinctive raw material based on performance and not cost. We will show pictures and/or short videos that visually illustrate performance from adding this raw material that by itself is uniquely responsible for that aspect of the result. The art of the formulator is in the selection of these quality, innovative raws with features that produce reliable results for each application.

It starts and ends with the science of cleaning.

Accelerant for Powdered Peroxide

Powdered peroxide is a generic name for sodium percarbonate or sodium perborate. They were developed to provide a stable form of peroxide. Until the water is introduced they remain inactive. The alkalinity present in the formula would by itself accelerate the peroxide. Essentially they are a product of spraying hydrogen peroxide on sodium carbonate or sodium borate. Sodium percarbonate is the most common form. Powdered peroxide can be coated or uncoated.

The coated versions can be mixed in dry formulas which contain small amounts of water. The coating prevents the peroxide from being activated in the bottle. The coating also makes it take longer to mix into water. Typically the formulas that are uncoated are used as boosters to liquid cleaning formulas. The challenge with these boosters is the release of the peroxide is too slow for the immediate job and too little for the following jobs when mixed with pre-spray solutions. Thus the need for further acceleration resulted in the invention of an oxygen accelerator.

The oxygen accelerator was developed for the laundry wash cycles. Adding it to powdered laundry detergents maximized the performance and full utilization of sodium percarbonate during the typical 40-minute wash cycle. This matches the typical usage time of a mixed carpet or upholstery pre-spray.

The following video shows how sodium percarbonate and sodium percarbonate with an oxygen accelerator compare in terms of activity on colored water. The speed of the reaction demonstrates that with an oxygen accelerator the mixed pre-spray will be better used on the current job where its addition is necessary.

Many add sodium percarbonate as a booster and find that some of its benefits are rinsed away before fully active. The oxygen booster enables more effectiveness and efficiency in use.