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by **rj5555** on March 11th, 2006, 10:36 pm

Scooba alternative solution

As it's undoable to use Clorox solution in the Scooba here in Spain (it would costs a fortune to ship it from the US) and my girlfriend does not like the vinegar smell. I have conducted some tests on which alternative commercial cleaning solution could be used.

The four main concerns were

- being (probably) safe on scooba's materials (pumps, tires) and on the floor

- Low foaming

- Electric conductive

- Traction

The candidates where (local Spanish names of international companies)

Satisfying being safe on Scooba internals and floor:
(Dissmissing all products with bleach and all product that recomend using gloves)

Tenn Primavera, secado rapido (Henkel)
Tenn Jabon Natural, secado rapido (Henkel)
Don Limpio, Ph neutro (Procter & Gamble)
Vinegar

I have conducted the foam test by mixing each candidate the same as my reference Clorox solution.

Foam test,

Clorox reference: Initial foam: 3cm , after 5 minutes: 2cm
Tenn Primavera: Initial foam: 8cm , after 5 minutes: 3cm (failed test, do not use in Scooba)
Tenn Jabon Natural: Initial foam: 3cm , after 5 minutes: 0cm
Don Limpio: Initial foam: 3.5cm , after 5 minutes: 2cm
Vinegar : Initial foam: <0.5cm , after 5 minutes: 0cm

Curious; After 10 minutes the remaining foam on the Clorox solution seems to stay much longer than any other product

Electricly conductive:

I have used a PPM meter that uses a probe similar as Scooba's to measure conductivity. Higher PPM means solution is more conductive:

Clorox reference: 240 PPM
Tenn Primavera: 311 PPM
Tenn Jabon: 356 PPM
Don Limpio: 420 PPM
Vinegar: 260 PPM

Being the most conductive Don Limpio can be diluted more without problems of the Scooba's sensors not detecting the mix. When don limpio is diluted by adding 40% more water the meter read 245 PPM, almost a perfect match with Clorox

I had no accurate way to measure traction but only Tenn Jabon seemed to be a bit more slippery so may cause problems with the Scooba.

In conclusion I see not problem in using Don Limpio Ph neutro in the Scooba, Use of the Scooba measuring cup (or one Don limpio bottle cap which is exactly the same) on a full tank. It will foam LESS than Clorox and have similar electric conductivity. (and traction does not seems to be an issue) The resulting mix is stronger than the recommended mix on the bottle but as the product can be used undiluted as well this should not pose a problem on the floor.

The brand Don Limpio is known as mister proper, meister proper , Mr Propre in other countries
"Don Limpio, Ph neutro" is sold as Mr. Propre Surfaces Fragiles/ Delicate Oppervlakken in France and Belgium. The bottle looks like this

Robin

by **selfexpressions** on March 11th, 2006, 11:40 pm

Interesting.... We've got the exact same guy over here in the US, and his name is Mr. Clean. Here's a link to his website:

http://www.homemadesimple.com/sites/en_ ... aner.shtml

I didn't see a version for delicate or sensitive floors, or "neutral" though.

by **THX-1138** on March 12th, 2006, 11:55 am

Hello Robin!

Great scientific experiment you made! Sad thing is that in USA we do not have the same product but I could tryout something similar and report my findings as you did. Thank you for sharing! :wink:

by **rj5555** on March 12th, 2006, 6:43 pm

selfexpressions wrote:Interesting.... We've got the exact same guy over here in the US, and his name is Mr. Clean. Here's a link to his website:

http://www.homemadesimple.com/sites/en_ ... aner.shtml

I didn't see a version for delicate or sensitive floors, or "neutral" though.

The brand is the same (It?s all Procter and Gamble)

by **stuestue** on March 13th, 2006, 1:55 pm

Hi,

This is great news. Thank you for your experiment.

I live in Europe also. Where did you buy the Scooba? Can you recomend an internet shop who ships to europe?

by **Phrozen Horse** on March 13th, 2006, 6:20 pm

Sharper Image ships Scooba internationally, they offer 2/3yr replacement guarantee as well (even for Europe, this was confirmed to me by the people at sharper image)

by **Phrozen Horse** on March 13th, 2006, 6:22 pm

@ rj5555

Very nice experiment.
Have you actually tried Don Limpio with Scooba?

by **rj5555** on March 14th, 2006, 4:12 am

Yes I have tried the Don Limpio... It works perfectly (it even gives a bit more shine to the cleaned floor)

There is no foaming the metal mesh filter is as dry as when you use Clorox (indicating there is no excessive foaming inside the dirty tank) and the Scooba is moving around with having problems with traction.

by **Phrozen Horse** on March 14th, 2006, 10:09 am

Thanks for the info.

For those of you interested in Scooba in EUROPE, HS ships them internationally and their lifetime warranty is valid in Europe as well.
(I've got one ordered from them just now)

PhH

by **Phrozen Horse** on March 15th, 2006, 4:21 pm

Update on the above. HS is NOT willing to ship to Europe because Scooba contains "hazardous materials". Strange, as an HS employee confirmed to me earlier that they would ship to Europe. Don't know why they changed their minds...
At this time I guess youautomateit.com and the sharper image are the ones which will ship to Europe

by **IndyGuy** on March 15th, 2006, 4:58 pm

Phrozen Horse, I wonder if the confusion is due to the name "Clorox" on the scooba-juice botte. The name "Clorox"is synonymous with bleach (sodium hypochlorite). Is sodium hypochlorite the banned chemical? If so, that should not be in bleachless scooba juice. Irobot should make a strong effort to clarify this, since it may hurt their sales in some international markets. I've read plenty of posts on this board from overseas scooba owners on this problem.

by **Phrozen Horse** on March 17th, 2006, 5:11 am

Thanks,

I've pointed out the naming confusion on Clorox (bleach is indeed forbidden to be shipped) and the reply I got is now all of a sudden that they don't want to ship it because it doesn't run on European 240VAC... Strange

Anyhow I've got one on order at Sharper Image, as they don't seem to have an issue with shipping to Europe.

PhH

by **IndyGuy** on March 17th, 2006, 10:53 am

That sounds like some BS reply coming from someone trying to cover up their earlier error. Some people can never admit they're wrong.

As for some of the folks that say they can't get the scooba juice OUS, that must be more from the fact that Scooba is still very new. I imagine that will work itself out in the coming months.

by **LUCA** on March 21st, 2006, 7:05 pm

rj5555 wrote:Scooba alternative solution

The brand Don Limpio is known as mister proper, meister proper , Mr Propre in other countries
"Don Limpio, Ph neutro" is sold as Mr. Propre Surfaces Fragiles/ Delicate Oppervlakken in France and Belgium.
Robin

Robin you are right. I found in Italy the same product that is "Mastro Lindo AcquActive formula Ph neutro" same specifications of your product.
I used one bottle cap = 36cc for 800cc water (Scooba tank) My scooba gone well .. no foam, traction OK. I think a good Clorox substitution (and cost too)
tanks to your suggestion

LUCA

by **Bossco** on March 21st, 2006, 7:55 pm

I live in Australia and was wondering if anyone has found an Alternative solution or the Mr Proper / Mr Clean solution here. rj5555 would you mind sending a photo of the back of the bottle so I can see the ingredients to help me find a suitable match here.

Thanks.

by **LUCA** on March 22nd, 2006, 2:35 am

Bossco wrote:I live in Australia and was wondering if anyone has found an Alternative solution or the Mr Proper / Mr Clean solution here. rj5555 would you mind sending a photo of the back of the bottle so I can see the ingredients to help me find a suitable match here.
Thanks.

Bossco, take a look to these documents
http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/pd ... SDS_pH.pdf
http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/pd ... rfaces.pdf
http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/pd ... licate.pdf

look to the Physical and chemical properties and you will see same characteristics (and components). I think if you make a little test with other products you will find a similar without pay a fortune for Clorox
Good luck

LUCA

by **Bossco** on March 22nd, 2006, 6:36 pm

Thanks Luca that's given more than enough information to help find a replacement. I will try and do some testing this weekend and report my results once I find a suitable replacement.

by **Quitch** on March 26th, 2006, 6:11 am

Out of those, Flash should be available somewhere in the UK, so I'd love to hear your results with that.

by **xuk101** on March 27th, 2006, 2:50 am

rj5555 wrote:Scooba alternative solution

Dear rj5555,
Could you describe your Foam test in detail ? I would like to make the same experiment in various kind of floor cleaning agent.

by **rj5555** on March 27th, 2006, 9:40 am

I took some small empty bottles ( 0.5 litter coca cola bottles) filled each with the same amount of water (about 1/4 full) and added the same amount of cleaning fluid to it. (each bottle a different fluid, and one with clorox as reference) (I used the same ratio as iRobot recommends with Clorox) Then I have shaken each bottle (about the same amount) and compared the amount of foam in each bottle. If it was less than Clorox it passed the test, else it failed. I also looked how it took for the foam disappeared (it could be a factor with a Scooba running for 45 minutes) but I found the foam of Clorox lasted the longest of all so that did not seem to be a problem)

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