Glossary

Routine cleaners are used for repeated cleaning at regular fixed time intervals. The intervals may be daily, weekly, monthly or individually defined. 

Also known as deep cleaning; In carpet cleaning, a combination of at least two cleaning processes such as e.g.: shampooing and spray extraction.

Chemical cleaning agent for removing lime deposits in household appliances and in the bathroom.

Environmental management system: 

Specifies requirements relating to the planning, implementation and monitoring of business activities to reduce and avoid placing burdens on the environment and assure the company's environmental objectives in the long term. 

Quality management standard: 

Sets out the required steps to be put in place by businesses in order to be able to fulfil customer demands as well as further requirements placed on the product or service quality.

The concept of dirt is mainly not clearly defined in the literature, or only defined in the relevant context. Thus for example in the German and European standards for cleaning processes and cleaning systems, examples are only given for the dirt substances to be removed.

See Dispersing properties.

A surface which attracts dirt less strongly after treatment with special cleaning agents, and which is therefore easier to clean. See also Easy-to-Clean Effect.

Disinfection is a hygiene measure which serves to kill off or inactivate pathogens, thereby significantly reducing their number on or in an object or on a biological surface. The objective is to achieve conditions in which infection is no longer probable.

Dirt-carrying ability – the capacity to hold insoluble substances in water (or other solvents), finely distributed and floating (so that they do not settle or deposit anywhere).

In chemistry, a dispersion is a heterogeneous mixture of at least two substances, which do not dissolve into each other at all or hardly dissolve into each other, or chemically bind with each other. In this case, one substance is distributed as finely as possible in another substance (dispersing agent).

Spreading/disseminating features of the cleaning agent.

Private households: Disposing of dirty water after daily cleaning is not normally a problem. Dirty water can be disposed of in floor drains, toilets and suitable wash basins. Please observe the respective instructions on the cleaning agent packaging.

If you have an old cleaning agent in your cupboard which you no longer wish to use: please do not simply throw it away; for safety reasons, it would be better to dispose of it properly. The best thing to do here would be to take it to a local recycling depot, which also professionally handles the disposal of leftover household cleaning products. Containers with this type of leftover product may usually be disposed of free of charge or for a small fee.

If a cleaning product has been entirely used up, however, then empty containers may be taken directly to the appropriate recycling bin.

Professional service providers: Disposing of loosened dirt after your daily routine cleaning or deep cleaning is not normally a problem. Loosened dirt can be disposed of in floor drains, toilets and suitable wash basins. Staff members should be given information about this during initial training. If procedural instructions are required, this will indicate the disposal options. 

Special precautions, which cleaning staff should be made aware of, are required when dealing with loosened dirt from machine and plant cleaning (e.g. hydrocarbon-containing cooling lubricants), façade cleaning (e.g. acids, solvents) and the cleaning of highly-sensitive spaces (e.g. chemicals taken up), clinical facilities (e.g. disinfecting agents), and kitchens (solvents, grease). 

Communal waste water regulations must be observed.  We recommend handing waste substances to an approved disposal firm.

Non-contaminated and empty packaging may be taken for recycling. 

The DVG (German Veterinary Society) committee "Disinfection in Veterinary Medicine" issues lists of the disinfectants which have been tested according to DVG guidelines and found to be effective.