Abstract

MINIMIZING OF SURFACE TENSION BETWEEN DIRT AND ADSORPTION SURFACE THROUGH DRY CLEANING AS WELL AS WET CLEANING AGENTS

*Prof. Dr. Dhrubo Jyoti Sen

ABSTRACT

Dirt or soil comes from external sources and fits on the surface of fabrics or solid surface loosely bound by surface tension between two. This binding does not form any chemical bonding but the surface tension might be high enough to form a dirt layer which can be removed by dry or wet cleansing agents. The cleaning agents minimise the interfacial tension through hydrophilic lipophilic balance scale to make the fabrics or solid surface free from dirt. Dirt is unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin or possessions when they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: Dust — a general powder of organic or mineral matter Filth — foul matter such as excrement Grime — a black, ingrained dust such as soot Soil — the mix of clay, sand and humus which lies over the bedrock When things are dirty they are usually cleaned with solutions like hard surface cleaner and other chemicals; much domestic activity is for this purpose — washing, sweeping and so forth. In a commercial setting, a dirty appearance gives a bad impression. An example of such a place is a restaurant. The dirt in such cases may be classified as temporary, permanent and deliberate. Temporary dirt is streaks and detritus that may be removed by ordinary daily cleaning. Permanent dirt is ingrained stains or physical damage which requires major renovation to remove. Deliberate dirt is that which results from design decisions such as decor in dirty yellow or grunge styling.

Keywords: Dirt, Filth, Grime, Soil, HLB scale, KB value, Surface tension, Interfacial tension.