Commercial cleaning seems very cut and dried. Use a strong chemical to ensure all surfaces are free of the great majority of pathogens and appear clean. However, not all cleaners are created equally. Industrial cleaning requires a variety of formulas and pH levels to properly clean all areas. Industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem stocks hundreds of cleaners, and many of those are acidic. 

Why use an acid? 

Acids have a pH lower than the average pH of 7. Acidic conditions are generally unfavorable to many microbes, with the likelihood of contamination fluctuating with how acidic a cleaner is. Acidic cleaners can range from mild to strong, depending on your needs. 

Strong Acids

These are examples of strong acids that are frequently used in industrial cleaning:

• Hydrobromic acid serves as a flux material to cleanse metals before they are soldered. In food prep areas, hydrobromic acid controls bacteria and other pathogens. 

• Hydrochloric acid is an ideal acidic cleaner for bathroom surfaces, such as bathtubs, sinks, tiles, and toilets. 

• Muriatic acid is ideal for persistent stains, rust, and mold from many surfaces such as brick, natural stone, and swimming pools. 

• As a fantastic all-around cleaner, nitric acid can specifically target soak tanks. Its use with steam cleaning devices is renowned. Nitric acid in electronics has the ability to clean silicon wafers. When combined with phosphoric acid, food and dairy equipment are quickly cleared of precipitated calcium and magnesium buildup.   

• Mineral deposits, grime, and hard water stains are eradicated with phosphoric acid. Many manufacturers use phosphoric acid as a degreaser and oxidizer, giving it use in cleaning products both indoors and outdoors. Clean tile, grout, natural stone, masonry, and concrete with phosphoric acid. If you are targeting cement grout haze, lime deposits, rust, hard water deposits, and grime, reach for phosphoric acid.

• Another contender is sulfuric acid, which is frequently used in toilet bowl cleaners to break through drain blockage, to dissolve rust on surfaces, and to rinse away stains in clothes and dishes. Sulfuric acid is also effective in breaking apart organic products such as food, grease, and hair. 

Weak Acids

These are weaker acids that are used for commercial cleaning on more sensitive surfaces: 

• To remove limescale and hard water stains, and as a toilet bowl cleaner, oven and stove top cleaner, and drain opener, rely on formic acid.

• Hydrofluoric acid removes rust as an oxidizer, removes stains, and dissolves silicates on surfaces. 

• While oxalic acid is considered a weak acid, it is stronger than most other weak acids. Its properties lend it to be used much like bleach for more stringent cleaning. Oxalic acid removes stains and rust from concrete, metal, fabric, leather, wood, stone, brick, and linoleum. In laundering products, oxalic acid as part of an acid rinse removes rust and ink.

Bell Chem is an industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including acid cleaners. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.