Weaving a strong stitch

Tag : machine polishing service

Wipes and cloths have a range of uses and applications acrossindustries, where they are used for cleaning and polishing. European Cleaning Journal takes a look at some of these applications, and digs a littledeeper - finding out how the cleaning capacity of the material isdeveloped in the weave and threading of the actual cloths.
Related story: new products - wipes and cloths
Wipes and cloths fall into the category of what are standard andstalwart pieces of daily cleaning equipment; it goes without sayingthat cleaning and wipes invariably go hand-in-hand.

Given this, we bring out from the background the easilytaken-for-granted development of cloths and wipes, and ask what itis that makes them almost impossible to clean without.

Whether used in offices, food preparation areas or particularlysensitive environments such as hospitals, cloths and wipes areneeded to work effectively and efficiently, and preferably shouldbe tailored to the task at hand. From traditional cloths to moremodern ones, such as microfibre, there is a range available todaythat helps to accommodate use within these different environments.

So what is it exactly about cloths that makes them multi-faceted?What is it about wipes that allows them to work well, andeffectively, given different levels of soiling and dirt in varyingsituations?

The answer almost always lies in the materials that make up thetools, and even more importantly in this case, the weaving of thosematerials, such that different soilings are absorbed to therequired degrees demanded by the circumstances they are found in.

Markus Leuenberger from manufacturer and developer of wipes andcloths JohnsonDiversey tells us how these pieces of equipment havecome to develop in the industry today: "In today’scleaning market different types of cloths are needed. To make achoice depends mainly on the following criteria: application area;type of dirt; laundry (service) available; cleaning method andexpected results."

He continues: "Most of the wipes and cloths used today arepart of one of the following categories: disposable wipes;non-woven cloths; latex cloths; and microfibre cloths."

"Soft, low-linting wipes are aimed at delicate cleaningapplications such as polishing tasks and screen work, whilepaper-based wipes are designed for mopping up spills and lightercleaning tasks."
Mark Riley from manufacturer SCA Tissue Europe goes on to tell usthe different situations that can call for using different wipes,explaining: “Tough, non-woven wipes are particularly suitablefor heavy-duty applications in mechanical workshops, and in themachine tool industry for instance, since these products will notbreak-up when used with solvents.

"Soft, low-linting wipes are aimed at delicate cleaningapplications such as polishing tasks and screen work, whilepaper-based wipes are designed for mopping up spills and forlighter cleaning tasks." He adds: "Paper wipes are alsoparticularly effective on glass since they have an abrasive action.Paper will react with the surface of the glass to leave a brightshine, whereas a softer cloth could leave smears.”

Going on to explain how non-woven materials can be used in theindustry, Riley adds: "Non-woven wipes made from a mixture ofman-made and cellulose fibres are generally stronger than thosemade purely of paper. The length of the fibres themselves will alsodictate the strength of the product, and wet strength agents can beadded to the wipe to further improve its performance.”

So why do we need cloths in the first place? They may have come tobe used widely, but what has created this demand? Leuenberger givesus his take, explaining: "Lack of hygiene in our surroundingscan cause death. Surveys have shown that 10 per cent of allhospital patients get an infection when they are hospitalised. Lackof hygiene causes sickness among the patients and staff,absenteeism from the staff and a lack of efficiency given extracosts from extended lengths of stay at the hospital. Choosing thecorrect cleaning equipment can help you to minimise the risks ofinfections. Tests with microfibre cloths have shown that they canreduce the bacteria culture by up to 99 per cent.

"Choosing the right cleaning equipment also has an impact onthe working environment for the employees who are doing thecleaning. By choosing the right cleaning equipment you can reducemonotonous re-iterative tasks, which reduces risks for those withphysical disabilities, and therefore lessens sickness andabsenteeism. All together choosing the right cleaning equipment isa sound decision both financially, hygienically andimage-wise."

Riley has his say, explaining: "Wipes are essential in anindustrial workplace because hands and work surfaces need to bekept clean for maximum efficiency. “Any wet or oily spills onthe floor obviously need to be soaked up too, since these could bea tripping hazard. And wipes are particularly vital for certainspecialist tasks, such as polishing car panels in the automotiveindustry or for cleaning surfaces and equipment in thehygiene-sensitive food industry.

“In automotive environments there is a need for low-lintingwipes that will not spoil the car paintwork, while food industrywipes are required to provide a hygienic method of removing foodresidue or wet spills where bacteria could breed.”

"Disposable wipes are an area where we believe that we willsee a wide range of new applications areas in the future."
In looking at how the weaving strength of the wipes and clothsaffects their cleaning capacity Riley talks a little more aboutwhat it is in the weaving that makes them so versatile: "Thelonger the fibres, the better the product because their lengthenables them to be bonded together more effectively. Tightly-bondedwipes are stronger, longer-lasting and are also lower lintingbecause fewer fibres are likely to break away from theproduct.”

Leuenberger agrees, telling us: "Non-woven cloths are not asgood as woven cloths due to the woven structure. You have a biggersquare area to pick up dirt and longer microfibres in thecloth."

What will the future of wipes and cloth development therefore hold?With access to manipulating threading structures in both non-wovenand woven cloth, many specialised uses can continue to beintroduced into the marketplace.

Riley gives us his opinion about what we can look forward to,saying: "There will probably be a greater emphasis onenvironmentally-friendly wiping products in the future. This maymean that the life cycle of the product itself is scrutinised moreclosely, or that greater use is made of recycled products.

"But another key issue is that dispensing systems will beincreasingly designed to reduce consumption as the need to reducewaste becomes more imperative.” And Leuenberger equallyresponds, adding: "We are convinced that there will be adevelopment within both disposable and durable microfibre cloths,and everything in between.

"Disposable wipes are another area where we believe that wewill see a wide range of new application areas in the future. Andwe think that we will see disposable wipes for cleaning invirtually every room and surface: wipes for kitchen and bathroomsurfaces; antibacterial ones to kill germs; wipes infused withwashroom cleaner, or with glass and mirror cleaner; wet ones forvarious floor surfaces; and dry, electrostatically charged ones forfloors and dusting."

The world of wipes and cloths is a vast and varied one such thatthe complexity of both their manufacture and application willlikely continue to diversify well into the future.