WC cleaner

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Liquid toilet cleaner in use
Toilet cleaners in the form of a tab usually foam up and clean the toilet drain.
So-called toilet stones should ensure a pleasant scent.

A toilet cleaner or toilet cleaner is an acidic cleaner for toilets . Common designs are able to remove urine scale , limescale and other dirt. Toilet cleaners were originally in powder form, but many products are now liquid cleaners. Tabs, foam cleaners and toilet stones are also available in stores. Legally, toilet cleaners belong to the consumer goods in Germany like all cleaning agents .

ingredients

Toilet cleaners contain acids , surfactants , thickeners and fragrances . Ingredients can include hydrochloric acid , nitric acid, or phosphoric acid .

The pH value of an ordinary toilet cleaner is around 1. Toilet cleaner is one of the most chemically aggressive products found in many households and as such a frequent cause of household accidents . The most common victims are young children who want to drink toilet cleaners. This can lead to irritation and chemical burns. Treatment here is through a strong supply of fluids. The combination with cleaning agents containing chlorine is also dangerous here , since the combination produces life-threatening chlorine gas . This can lead to toxic pulmonary edema . The cleaner can also attack the area around the toilet such as plastic parts ( toilet seat ), fittings, lime-bound stones, enameled surfaces or the cement joints between tiles.

Granular cleaners usually contain sodium carbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate . In combination with water and the sodium hydrogen sulfate, which is also present, this leads to foaming. In this way, the cleaning agents can also act on soiling above the water level.

As a separate product category, toilet cleaners came onto the German market in the 1950s. One of the first products was the 00 toilet cleaner, which was developed in powder form . Toilet cleaner as a separate product replaced cleaning with diluted hydrochloric acid. In 1961, after a long period of hesitation, the Henkel subsidiary Thompson , a German company, brought the competing product bif onto the market. In the following decades, liquid cleaners, toilet blocks and other cleaning utensils for the toilet followed.

Environmental status

In the 1980s, toilet cleaners came under fire because they also pollute the wastewater and therefore cannot be considered environmentally friendly. The German Federal Environment Agency advised in brochures to use toilet cleaners sparingly and to substitute them with toilet brushes and all-purpose cleaners . Nevertheless, toilet cleaner is part of the inventory of the so-called eco-cleaning cabinet , which advises concentrating on only six types of cleaner. The cleaning agent manufacturer Frosch , for example, orientates itself on this . With a market share of 17%, Frosch achieved market leadership in the German market for toilet cleaners in the mid-1990s. An attempt to bring a biofix toilet cleaner on the market failed because it also contained chemical substances that could not be biodegraded. A well-known representative of the toilet cleaner is the toilet duck brand ; However, as it contains quaternary ammonium compounds , it is recommended not to use the product.

While the market remained stable for many years, innovations from individual competitors increased it. After WC-frisch introduced cleaning tabs in 1998 and cleaning foam in 2000, the overall market increased from 43.5 million euros in 1999 to 56.2 million euros in 2001. According to a representative survey by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in 2010 77% of all German households use a toilet cleaner at least once a week, while at the same time 72% of consumers rated it as a health hazard. In 2011, 0.98 million people in Germany never used bathroom or toilet cleaners. By contrast, 8.02 million people use these cleaners every day and 22.79 million once a week.

Toilet cleaners are also used in the area of ​​urine screening. Some drug users try to adulterate their urine samples by adding toilet cleaner to the sample.

literature

  • Hermann G. Hauthal (Ed.): Cleaning and care products in the household . Chemistry, application, ecology and consumer safety. Verlag für chemical industry Ziolkowsky, Augsburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-87846-265-1 .
  • Klaus Henning: detergents and cleaning agents . Ingredients, properties and formulations. Verlag für chemical industry Ziolkowsky, Augsburg 2006, ISBN 978-3-87846-252-1 .
  • Martin Lutz: Practical Guide for Building Cleaning . ecomed Sicherheit, Landsberg am Lech 2008, ISBN 978-3-609-68659-2 .

Web links

Commons : Toilet Cleaner  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lutz p. 34.
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Dick: Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine Walter de Gruyter, 2001, ISBN 3110153467 , p. 163.
  3. ↑ Lutz p. 33.
  4. ↑ Lutz p. 22.
  5. ^ Gisela Zimmer: Exam preparation for forensic medicine Georg Thieme Verlag, 2009, ISBN 3131411724 , p. 55.
  6. ↑ Bernd Engels et al .: Chemistry for Medic Pearson Germany, 2008, ISBN 3827372860 , p. 284.
  7. ↑ Frank-Ludwig Bertschat, Frank Martens: Practical Emergency Medicine: Key Symptoms and Treatment Walter de Gruyter, 1988, ISBN 3110115999 , p. 55.
  8. ↑ Lutz p. 69.
  9. ↑ Wolfgang Frede: Taschenbuch für Lebensmittelchemiker Springer, 2005, ISBN 3540281983 , p. 936.
  10. ↑ a b Florian Langenscheidt: German Standards: Brands of the Century Gabler Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3834904368 , p. 368.
  11. ^ Susanne Hilger: "Americanization" of German companies . Franz Steiner Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3515082832 , p. 146.
  12. ^ Edmund Brandt: Environmental Enlightenment and Constitutional Law Blottner, 1994, ISBN 3893670408 .
  13. ^ Manfred Sietz, Siegmar Bornemann: Environmentally conscious management Blottner, 1994, ISBN 3893670467 , p. 220.
  14. ↑ Peter Schott Höfer, Peter Busl: Handbook of advertising law in the EU countries including Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the United States Otto Schmidt Verlag, 1997, ISBN 3504411988 , pp 205th
  15. ↑ Nadine Woodtli: “Kassensturz” test - the chemical club in the cleaning cupboard. In: srf.ch . November 26, 2019, accessed November 27, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Klaus L. Wübbenhorst and Raimund Wildner: Market-oriented corporate management in stagnating markets in: Manfred Bruhn (ed.): Market-oriented leadership in economic and social change Gabler Verlag, 2007, ISBN 3834903701 , p. 133.
  17. ↑ Astrid Epp, Rolf F. Hertel, Gaby-Fleur Böl: Chemistry in everyday life , Federal Institute for Risk Assessment 2010 as pdf p. 57.
  18. ↑ Population by frequency of use of bathroom or toilet cleaner from 2007 to 2011 (in millions) , Statista accessed on December 13, 2012.
  19. ^ Hans Sachs, Wolfgang Berr, Martin Krause: Drugs in Road Traffic Law Hüthig Jehle Rehm, ISBN 3811408453 , p. 333.