What Exactly is in My Cleaning Products?

If you’re like most of us, when it comes to shopping usually you buy for the advertising, the price point, the packaging…or sometimes just the color that you happen to love. But far too often we don’t flip that products around before putting it in our mouth or in this case, before we use it in our salon or spa, and actually look at the ingredient listing. If we do, there’s an unending list in indecipherable terms that mean nothing to us.

We’ve compiled a list of all of the terms you need to know, plus ingredients contained in our Lucas Cleaning Products and explain what they are and what they do. Enjoy!

Glossary of Terms

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[toggle title=”Algae to Broad Spectrum”]

• Algae- Plants similar to fungi, but containing chlorophyll and other pigments
• Algaecide- A chemical agent that kills algae
• Antibiotic- A substance produced by a living organism which has the power to destroy or inhibit the multiplication of other organisms, especially pathogens
• Antifoulant- A chemical agent that prevents growth of organisms on underwater structures
• Antimicrobial Agent / Pesticide- Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest
• Antimicrobial- Agents which destroy or control the growth of any bacteria, fungi, or virus pathogenic to man or animals. Antimicrobial products include sterilizers, disinfectants, virucides, sanitizers, bacteriostats, fungistats, and algaecides
• Antisepsis- The destruction of microorganisms that cause disease, fermentation, or putrefaction; use of antiseptic methods and procedures
• Antiseptic- A substance that inhibits or arrests the growth or action of microorganisms. Used especially in describing agents applied to living tissue. Also, pertaining to the use of antiseptics, as antiseptic surgery
• Autoclave- An apparatus for sterilizing by means of super-heated steam under pressure
• Bacillus- Any rod-shaped bacterium. Loosely used, any disease-producing bacterium
• Bacteria- A wide range of microorganisms, usually one-celled. Many are disease-producing; others are active in processes such as fermentation or the conversion of dead organic matter of soluble food for plants
• Bactericide- An agent that destroys disease germs, but not necessarily spores
• Bactericidal- Pertaining to or having the characteristics of a bactericide
• Bacteriostat- A product that retards or inhibits the growth or multiplication of bacteria
• Broad Spectrum- Effective against a wide range of different types of microorganisms

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[toggle title=”Chelating Agent to Fungistat”]

• Chelating Agent- Chemicals in a cleaner that increase the performance of the product by combining chemically with insoluble material such as hard water salts, making them soluble so that they (1) do not steal cleaning power (2) do not settle out leaving difficult to rinse films, and (3) do not combine with soap fats to form soap scum. They will dissolve such films that may have built up on a surface by use of deficient cleaners
• Chronic- Continuing for a long time; constant
• “Cide” or “Cidal”- A suffix that means “to kill”
• Concurrent- Happening at the same time; a concurrent odor is one which appears at the same time or as the result of another action such as spillage
• Conductive- The property in a surface or material which allows/allowing electricity to flow freely through it
• Cross Infection- The transfer of disease or infection from one person to another
• Culture Cultivation- or growth of bacteria in a prepared nutrient media
• Culture Test- To take samplings from a surface and attempt to grow bacteria in a nutrient media from such samplings. Used to determine effectiveness of bactericidal cleaning. See scalpel test and swab test.
• Disinfectant- A less lethal process than sterilization. It eliminates virtually all recognized pathogenic microorganisms but not necessarily all microbial forms (e.g., bacterial endospores) on inanimate objects.
• Deodorizer- A chemical agent that prevents the formation of odors by acting upon microorganisms
• Detergent- A product that is both a cleaner and a disinfectant
• Environment Surroundings- any area where there are organisms outside the human body
• Fade-out- The loss of effectiveness of cleaning and/or disinfectant agents while in use
• Fungi- Group of non-green plants that live by feeding on living or dead organisms
• Fungicide- A chemical agent that destroys fungi
• Fungistat- A chemical agent that inhibits the growth of fungi

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[toggle title=”Germ to Isolation”]

• Germ- “Catch-all” term for microorganisms
• Germicide- Same as bactericide
• Germistat- Same as bacteriostat
• Gram Positive- A laboratory method of classifying disease by staining. Those bacteria that stain a deep (or negative) violet are gram positive. Those that are discolored and take on a contrast stain are gram negative. Method developed by Hans Christian Joachim Gram, 1853
• Hard Water Hardness- The solution in water of both calcium and magnesium ions. It is usually expressed in terms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Since hardness ions carry a positive charge, their presence can diminish the germicidal efficacy of quats by competing for the negative sites on the microorganism’s cell wall. The adverse affect of hardness cations can be reduced with the addition of hardness chelants, such as EDTA, which form chemical bonds with the calcium and magnesium ions. In the United States, approximately 80% of the municipalities supply water with less than 250 ppm hardness.
• Herpes Simplex- Virus causing fever blisters and other infections
• Incinerate- To burn, or reduce to ashes
• Infection- Invasion of living disease organisms into a part of the human body where conditions are favorable to their growth and where their toxins act injuriously on the tissues
• Influenza A2- Virus causing the acute infectious disease influenza, or grippe
• Insulating Residue- Any deposit or residue that prevents static electricity from being conducted
• Isolation- To separate a patient with an infectious disease from persons not similarly infected

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[toggle title=”Microorganism to Putrefaction”]

• Microorganism- Bacteria, fungi, algae
• Mildewcide- A chemical agent that kills mildew (a defacing fungus)
• Nosocomial- Relating to a hospital; from the Greek – Nosos (disease), Kome (I take care of), Nosocomion (a hospital). Thus, a nosocomial infection is one acquired in a hospital.
• Non-Selective- A chemical agent or combination of chemical agents which are destructive to a broad range of pathogens
• Parts per million- A conventional way to express a very low concentration of a material dissolved in (ppm) water. For example, a 100 ppm concentration of a material dissolved in water is equivalent to 8 drops in one gallon of water
• Pathogen- Any virus, bacteria or other microorganism that causes disease
• pH- The measure of relative acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Using a scale from 0 to 14, 7 indicates neutral, below 7 indicates acidity and above 7 indicates alkalinity.
• Phenol- A figure indicating the bacteria-killing strength of a bactericide as compared to pure carbolic coefficient acid. A Phenol Coefficient of 10 indicates that the bactericide is 10 times as effective as carbolic acid in killing a particular organism
• Phenol Coefficient- The ratio of the concentration of the product and the concentration of phenol required to kill certain bacteria in a specified time
• Phenolics- A general term for bactericides based on synthetic phenols or phenolic derivatives
• Preservative- A chemical agent or process that prevents deterioration of materials
• Putrefaction- The decomposition of organic matter, especially by the action of bacteria, with the formation of foul-smelling, incompletely oxidized products

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[toggle title=”Quats to Staphylococcus”]

• Quats or Quaternaries- A general term for bactericides bases or quaternary ammonium compounds
• Sanitizer- An agent that reduces the number of bacterial contaminants to safe levels as determined by public health requirements. The term “sanitizing” generally refers to inanimate objects (particularly food-related utensils and equipment) and implies providing a satisfactory condition of cleanliness in addition to a safe bacterial level. Thus, detergent sanitizers combine cleaning and sanitizing. The same kinds of com pounds that provide disinfecting action in cleansers and hard surface cleaners also contribute sanitizing capability.
• Scalpel Test- A method of testing the effectiveness of a bactericidal cleaner by taking scrappings from a surface with a scalpel and incubating the scrappings in a nutrient medium to determine whether living bacteria remain after cleaning. See Swab Test
• Selective- A chemical agent or combination of chemical agents which are destructive to a narrow range or specific group of pathogens
• Sepsis- The invasion of bodily tissue by pathogenic bacteria
• Slimicide- A chemical preparation that prevents, inhibits, or destroys biological slimes composed of combinations of microorganisms
• Soil Matter out of place- Organic soil relates to that which is or was living.
• Inorganic soil- Relates to, or composed of, matter other than animal or vegetable.
• Spores- Reproductive bodies (or resistant resting cells) produced by certain bacteria not usually affected by bactericides
• Sporicide- A chemical agent that destroys bacterial spores as well as vegetative forms of microorganisms
• Staphylococcu- Bacteria causing numerous pus-forming infections, such as boils, ear and throat Aureus- infections, pneumonia, meningitis, and many others
• Staphylococcus- Bacteria causing pus-forming infections of skin tissues

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[toggle title=”Sterilant to Virus”]

• Sterilant- The use of agents generally known as sporicides intended to destroy or eliminate living microorganisms in a given environment. The highest level of disinfection available.
• Sterile- The condition of being free from all forms of life, especially microorganisms
• Sterilize- To destroy all organisms, including bacteria, spores, fungi and viruses
• Steptococcus- Bacteria causing local infection, normally in the mouth, which in turn leads to Viridans symptoms of arthritis, neuritis and endocarditis
• Suppurative- Those infections which generate pus
• Swab Test- A method of testing effectiveness of a bactericidal cleaner by taking samples from a surface with a swab and incubating them in a nutrient medium to determine whether living bacteria remain after cleaning. Not an effective test since the swab removes only what is on the surface and may not pick up bacteria protected by soil. Scalpel test is preferred
• Titration- The process of determining the strength of a solution, or the concentration of a substance in solution, in terms of the smallest amount required to bring about a given reaction with another known solution of substance
• Toxins- A poison formed and secreted during the growth of pathogenic microorganisms
• Type 2 Adenovirus- Virus causing numerous types of infections in man
• Use Dilution- The ratio of product to water at which the product performs effectively, expressed in ounces per gallon or parts per 100
• Vaccinia- A pox virus used for vaccination of man for immunity against smallpox
• Viricide- Any agent which is destructive to a virus
• Virus- The term for a group of pathogens which are barely visible or invisible under the ordinary microscope. They are not capable of growth or reproduction apart from living cells

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