Investigation of the detergency properties of mixtures of biocides and nonionic surfactants using a new simplified hard surface cleaning method

Abstract The present study explores the cleaning efficacy of a set of nonionic surfactants (linear ethoxylated alcohol, secondary ethoxylated alcohols with 5, 7, and 9 ethoxy groups, glycoside surfactants, polyglycerol surfactants, and an ethoxylated sorbitan monolaurate) combined with cationic biocides—alkyl quaternary ammonium salts. A simple hard surface cleaning methodology was applied, which was shown to discriminate well between poor and good cleaning formulations. In addition to cleaning efficacy, surface aesthetics such as gloss and haze were evaluated together to assess surface streaking caused by a residual surfactant layer. The haziness determination turned out to be the key feature revealing the complex cleaning performance of multi‐component products.