Glossary Page 2

Rinse quick/complete: Because our surfactants have emulsified and not dissolved the stain, there is no sticky residue or strong odor as with a waterless hand cleaner. The stain will not re-deposit on your skin, in the sink, or in your piping system.

Dissolve: Change into a solution. Like dissolving sugar in tea.

Surface Tension: The internal force that pulls water together. You see it when water beads up on the surface of skin, glass, metal and most hard objects. A surfactant breaks this force to allow deeper cleaning.

Solvent: A substance that dissolves another substance. They are divided into 2 categories: Aqueous (water) and Non-Aqueous (non-water). Since water alone will not dissolve oil, there are virtually no pure aqueous hand cleaners. The most common solvent-based hand cleaners are non-aqueous. Most are mineral spirits (paint thinner) processed to form a gel. If it giggles like jello, it is probably solvent-based. The four primary complaints with this type are: Very harsh on your skin, the cleaner will separate into a goopy mess during hot days, they leave a film on your hands, and they must be stored in moderate temperatures. The category exists because mineral spirits is readily available, inexpensive and they do dissolve grease well.

Aqueous Solvent: Water-based solvent. Could be used for non-greasy applications such as gardening or other light duty stains.

Non-Aqueous Solvent: Most of these solvents are oil-based because they are derived from refining crude oil. They are usually formulated by turning mineral spirits into a gel.

Mineral Spirits: A common non-aqueous solvent . This product has various industrial uses ranging from paint thinning to dry cleaning. Many hand cleaner manufacturers process mineral spirits into a gel-type cleaner because it is readily available and very inexpensive.