My Favourites (
My Kiwicare 
Email 
Print Glossary of Outdoor Cleaning Terms
Words and terms used in cleaning and their meaning.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Alga | Simple, single-celled, filamentous or sheets of green celled plant without. Lack of distinct cell tissue types. E.g. Algae on fence. |
| Anionic surfactant | A surfactant with a negatively charged ionic group. Anionic surfactants are widely used in high-sudsing detergents. |
| Hose end sprayer | Spray unit fitted to product bottle that can be fitted to a hose allowing direct dilution and application without the need to mix concentrates with water before application. E.g. Sorted Dirt & Grime, Sorted Moss & Mould. |
| Biodegradable | The ability of a substance to be broken down into simpler, smaller parts by a biological process. |
| Cationic Surfactant | A surfactant with a positively charged ionic group. The most common cationic surfactants are known as quaternary ammonium compounds such as benzalkonium chloride. These are widely used as disinfectants and sanitisers. |
| Chelating agent | An organic sequestering agent used to inactivate hard water and other metallic ions in water. Additives in detergents for inactivating the minerals in water that interfere with cleaning. E.g. SORTED Dirt & Grime. |
| Chlorine bleach | A group of strong oxidizing agents commonly sold in an approximately 5% solution of sodium hypochlorite. Care should be taken to never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or hydrochloric acid. E.g. SORTED Tough Stains (Discontinued). |
| Detergent | A washing and cleaning agent with a composition other than soap. Detergents, unlike soaps, are less sensitive to minerals in water. |
| Lichen | A lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria (or both) living among filaments of a fungus in a mutually beneficial relationship (symbiosis). Remarkable in being able to survive in very barren places such as rock surfaces. |
| Liverwort | Liverworts are plants with prostrate, flattened, ribbon-like or branching structured plant body(thallus). |
| Moss | Mosses are simple sponge-like, green, low growing mats of plants. Not to be confused with liverwort, lichens or algae. |
| Mould (Mold US) | Moulds are a diverse number of fungal species where the growth of hyphae results in discolouration of surface appearance. |
| Nonionic surfactant | A surface-active agent that contains neither positively or negatively charged functional groups. These surfactants have been found to be especially effective in removing oily soil. |
| Salt | Ionic compounds. E.g. sodium chloride (common salt), calcium carbonate (limestone). |
| Surfactant | Substances which lower the surface tension of water. These surface-active agents modify the emulsifying, foaming, dispersing, spreading and wetting properties of a product. |
| Water hardness | A measure of the amount of metallic salts found in water. Hard water can inhibit the action of some surfactants and reduce the effectiveness of the cleaning process. |
See also Home Pest Control Glossary and Gardening Glossary.
David Brittain
Kiwicare
