Hello,
I'm starting an exterior cleaning service with a focus on using sustainable, carbon neutral and environmentally friendly chemicals, practices, and machinery.
Within this industry, Sodium Hypochlorite is considered king, even when it's often a poor choice for the task, and has been shown to have long term negative impacts on the environment and water it is introduced to (when used as a cleaner).
As such I've been looking for effective alternatives to Sodium Hypochlorite (referred to as bleach moving forward). The immediate downside is that even in situations where bleach is a poor cleaner, it often appears to be effective due to its excellent whitening characteristics. The dirt, grime, and other surface contaminants may not have been removed, but the surfaces appear to be clean because the contaminants have been bleached.
My immediate first choice as an alternative was Hydrogen Peroxide, since it has many desirable qualities in a cleaning chemical. Additionally, it decomposes into water and oxygen. It's also very unstable and decomposes very quickly. This would lead me to believe it is significantly less likely to result in unexpected chemical reactions than bleach, when introduced to the environment at large through an exterior cleaning process.
Question 1: Is Hydrogen Peroxide better than bleach for the environment at large, or are there known reactions that result from Hydrogen Peroxide and common environmental substances which are as bad as bleach?
Question 2: Does Sodium Percarbonate, when mixed with water, have cleaning qualities beyond that of Hydrogen Peroxide? I'm generally unfamiliar with Sodium Carbonate and its potential environmental impacts or advantages over a simple diluted Hydrogen Peroxide solution.
Question 3: Are there any known substances that would increase the viscosity, or surface tension of a Hydrogen Peroxide solution to enable better adhesion to vertical surfaces?
Apologies for the wall of text. I was not blessed with the gift of brevity.
Thanks in advance.
Used in various applications, including wound care, surface disinfection, and water treatment. It's available in different concentrations for specific purposes.
First, thank you for trying to create more environmentally friendly options.
Then, hydrogen peroxide is an excellent disinfectant, though doesn’t have whitening effect as bleach. Alternative is definitely hydrogen percarbonate. You can find it fairly cheap online. Use a tablespoon per gallon of water for bleaching and disinfectant effect. It is environmentally friendly.
only caveat is, you have to prepare fresh with hot water. Water should be > 40 C and should wait in it min 15-30 min for activation. You can use it up to 5-6 hours, but purer the water, longer the duration. Do not mix it in a sprayer, the unsolved part can clog the spray. Instead prepare in a big container, keep it hot, and move into a sprayer before use. With hydrogen percarbonate, you will get better results than bleach, whiter, safer, and great anti odor. If there is a pee on a carpet, you don’t have too much of an option other than percarbonate.
lastly, no, you cannot make it viscous. In fact, better to do not mix it with another cleaner/ chemical. You can wash with a vicious detergent first or after. Hope these help.