How Does STARPOWER Work?

There were many factors involved in determining what capabilities would be delivered in the STARPOWER formulation. They sought to provide an all-purpose cleaner/degreaser, knowing that it needed to be capable of performing consistently, at an optimal level, while meeting a wide range of difficult challenges. They succeeded.

Fundamentally, key elements that needed to be addressed in achieving high performance were:

• THE NATURE OF THE SUBSTANCE OR CONTAMINANT TO BE CLEANED
• THE CONDITION OF THE WATER
• THE TYPE OF SURFACE TO BE CLEANED
• CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
• CONCERN FOR SAFETY

How these and other objectives were met is discussed below...

• WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE SUBSTANCE TO BE CLEANED?

  Usually soils or contaminants are classified as either particulate (organic or inorganic), oily, starchy, fatty, or proteinaceous. STARPOWER's water-based formula delivers a blend of ingredients in a cleaning system that breaks down all such targeted contaminants into small particles, scattering and temporarily suspending them in solution so that they can easily be rinsed away. The formula also has excellent anti-redeposition properties, which prevent the redeposition of this grime. Redeposition is one of the persistent problems faced in cleaning all kinds of substances. This result is achieved without sacrificing environmental concerns, which typically is not the case with solvent-based cleaners.

• HARD WATER

  One of the persistent challenges faced in cleaning is that most of the water in the worldwide water supply is "hard water". This term refers to water that is high in mineral content, primarily consisting of calcium and magnesium compounds. These substances greatly reduce the effectiveness of cleaning products. For this reason STARPOWER has been formulated to specifically counteract the presence of such compounds. By choice, its formula incorporates the use of soft water. The result is a product that delivers outstanding performance in either hard water or soft water environments.

• ADDITIONAL CLEANING PROPERTIES

  STARPOWER is also excellent for removing deposits of rust, oxidation, scale, and smut (sooty matter) from ferrous and nonferrous surfaces. You will also notice that the redeposition of such materials on these surfaces will be greatly reduced, if it occurs at all. This is especially true of oxidation. Furthermore, in many cases, painted surfaces from which oxidation has been removed have actually gone for years without the recurrence of oxidation.

  Another benefit you will enjoy with STARPOWER is its non-corrosive nature. In part, this is due to its pH. Furthermore, you will notice that in addition to easily removing rust from metal surfaces, STARPOWER also has great rust and corrosion inhibiting properties.

• ENVIRONMENTAL AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
  • SURFACTANT AND EMULSIFIER FREE

    STARPOWER provides its superior detergency without the use of surfactants or emulsifiers. Today it is common for industrial cleaners to contain surfactants and emulsifiers, which clean by causing oily materials to chemically bind to water. This bonding can be detected by noting the milky-white color of the cleaner's residue when the residue comes in contact with water.

    Such products do clean, and some of them do so very effectively. However, the serious problem with the chemical surfactants and emulsifiers they contain is that the milky emulsion they create wreaks havoc on oil-water separators. This is because the oily materials being removed will chemically bind to the water used to rinse away the residue. These oily materials will not separate from the water. This milky emulsion will defeat the action of the separating units.

    STARPOWER's formula is free of surfactants and emulsifiers. This property of the product will be of benefit to you if you use an oil/water separator system to capture your runoff. That is because when an oil-based substance has been cleaned from a surface and the residue has been rinsed into the separator, that oil-based substance will separate from the STARPOWER while in the unit, and can then be easily removed.

    (NOTE: To test this feature of STARPOWER, pour it and some oil into a clear container and shake it vigorously. Let the solution settle for a while. You will observe that the oily phase will completely separate from the water-based STARPOWER phase. "Seeing Is Believing".)

  • SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE

    Creating a high performance cleaner/degreaser that would produce outstanding results without causing harm to the environment, and that wouldn't "cost an arm and a leg", was a major challenge for Paradigm. STARPOWER's environmentally responsible users have been deeply satisfied with its potent cleaning and degreasing power, delivered in a formula that withstands the close scrutiny of regulatory agencies.

    Corporate and government customers alike have found that, in terms of meeting ever-stricter environmental codes and regulations, the switch to STARPOWER has been well worth it for them. In fact, it has been determined in many cases that the product actually exceeds the strict requirements of the environmental standards they must meet.

    Further, no special safety equipment is required when using STARPOWER, an environmentally responsible product.

• TESTING

  Both the Hazardous Waste Screen Bioassay and the Biodegradability Analysis clearly demonstrate STARPOWER's environmentally friendly nature. They provide a great deal of reassurance that you will be able to remain sensitive to environmental issues while enjoying the product's high performance capabilities. Again and again Paradigm has proven that, because of STARPOWER's unique formulation, safety and high-performance need not be mutually exclusive.