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SANITIZATION
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A soluble abrasive
In hard surface and hand cleansers a degree of abrasion is often desirable, physically to scour the soil deposit from
the surface and with it any microbial presence.
Calcite (CaCO3) is often employed (Moh hardness 3), but is insoluble in water and hence can leave a deposit after use.
Borates, on the other hand, are water soluble and once their abrasive action has been used can be removed with water.
Although of lower hardness than calcite, borax (2 on the Moh scale), is still effective as a soluble abrasive. Borax
pentahydrate is claimed to be a better abrasive than calcite in terms of soil
removal and surface safety (gloss maintenance).
The solubilities of different borates (and their chemical properties) present interesting possibilities. Anhydrous borax
is more abrasive (4.5 - 5 on the Moh scale), and because it is not as soluble as the hydrated compound, the deposit left
will in time dissolve away, but until it does it will exert a useful bacteriostatic effect of obvious relevance to toilet
and hard surface cleaning.
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