What is Detergent and What Does It Do?

Detergents for commercial dishwashers and glasswashers consist of a blend of chemicals designed to clean dishes, glasses, and other items soiled with food and drink.

They come in various forms (powders, tablets, liquids, etc.) but generally contain certain ingredients such as enzymes, phosphates, rust prevention agents, bleaching agents, and, most importantly, surfactants (more on these later).

The proportions and strengths of these ingredients vary between products, so even if two brands contain the same ingredients, they can produce different results.

What is a Rinse Aid and What Does It Do?

As the name suggests, rinse aid is designed to enhance the rinsing process of dishes and glasses at the end of the washing cycle.

The main ingredient in rinse aids is surfactants, which facilitate the removal of water residues and prevent the formation of droplets or spots on the surface of dishes.

The Important Role of Surfactants

Despite its widespread use, water is actually limited in its cleaning ability due to its high surface tension (the second highest of any liquid after mercury). This property means that water molecules tend to stick together, with surface molecules clinging particularly strongly since they lack neighboring molecules above them.

This explains why you can fill a glass of water slightly above the rim without it overflowing, and why raindrops roll down windows in droplets rather than spreading evenly.

Increasing the water temperature slightly reduces its surface tension. However, for effective cleaning, chemical additives known as surfactants are necessary to reduce the surface tension to levels that enable effective washing.

Surfactants (short for surface-active agents) help reduce surface tension by providing water molecules with alternative surfaces to cling to, beyond neighboring molecules. While surfactants are crucial in both detergents and rinse aids, they perform different functions in each.

Surfactants in Detergents:

In detergents, surfactants contribute to effective cleaning of glassware and dishes by reducing water's surface tension. This allows the water to emulsify fats, oils, and other greasy substances, making their removal easier during rinsing.

Surfactants in Rinse Aids:

In rinse aids, surfactants break down the water's self-adhering property (i.e., its high surface tension), allowing water molecules to spread into thinner sheets rather than forming droplets. This facilitates the removal of water from glasses and dishes.

Additionally, reducing surface tension enhances the evaporation of water residues, contributing to reduced drying times.

Why Investing in High-Quality Detergent and Rinse Aid is Important

It is a mistake to assume that all chemical products are the same regardless of their price. In reality, there is a significant difference in quality between high-quality products and cheaper alternatives.

Reliable suppliers use high-quality raw materials, but the management of these materials during production significantly affects the final product's performance.

Cheaper products often do not use chemicals at the recommended dosages, typically to reduce costs, resulting in lower effectiveness. In contrast, high-quality products are highly concentrated and designed to withstand the demands of the hospitality industry, effectively cleaning even the most challenging loads.

Although cheaper products may seem attractive, especially when trying to cut costs, investing in high-quality products is often more cost-effective in the long run. High-quality products achieve desired results with lower dosages, reducing the need for frequent orders.

Cheaper products, due to their lower concentration, often require larger quantities for satisfactory results and may even require re-washing if loads are not adequately cleaned the first time. This added hassle and uncertainty can end up costing more in time and money compared to the initial investment in a quality product.

Additionally, high-quality chemicals help maintain the performance and longevity of equipment by preventing scale buildup, enhancing washing efficiency, and allowing for shorter and more frequent washing cycles.

At ASEM, with over 30 years of experience in producing professional detergents, we have developed a range of high-standard products for dishwashers, offering the best quality at the most competitive prices on the market.