Chemistry of sanitizer « I Hate Starbucks

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Chemistry of sanitizer

(19 posts) (13 voices)

Started 1 year ago by IceCapp
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IceCapp

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As a chemistry major (fun, amirite?), I decided to look into why my hands hurt like h.ell by the end of a shift.

Quats: Quaternary Ammonium Cation solutions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaternary_ammonium_cation

Quaternary ammonium compounds can display a range of health effects, amongst which are mild skin and respiratory irritation [8] up to severe caustic burns on skin and gastro-intestinal lining (depending on concentration), gastro-intestinal symptoms (e.g., nausea and vomiting), coma, convulsions, hypotension and death.

D.amnnnnnnnnnnn

Chlorine: some stores, apparently, use some compound of Chlorine in sanitizer buckets, and is in Spirit Liquid Disinfectant and Restroom Cleaner
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine#Health_effects

Oven Cleaner
http://www.monsterjanitorial.com/msds/cleaningmsdssheets/docs/51/5129/5129001.pdf
This stuff contains basic (pH 11.0) chemicals which, I believe, will cause mild saponification of oils on the surface of skin. Causing severe dehydration of the cells. It also contains Trisodium Nitrilotriacetate, which, as the MSDS sheet lists, is a known carcinogen. Mmm! Cancer!

Please wear gloves.
Thanks!

Posted 1 year ago #

Secret
StraightRazor

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Even more reasons to add to the list of why I dislike SBux.

Posted 1 year ago #
TrentaH2O

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A few weeks ago, I started becoming obsessed with cleaning the oven until it sparkles, which usually involves me taking the ceramic part and metal rack to the sink to scrub - which I do with my bare hand and a scrubbie pad. It was about this time I started noticing huge amounts of skin just coming off of my hands and fingers. I guess it should have been a no-brainer (especially since I'm a chem major as well :D) but wow.

Posted 1 year ago #
GaveYouDecaf

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^ Omfg! Are you okay?

IceCapp, do we know each other???

Posted 1 year ago #
TrentaH2O

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I was really freaked out at first but the skin grew back pretty quickly. You can bet your sweet a55 I'm wearing gloves from now on.

Posted 1 year ago #
Perfectionist

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My hands and wrists itch if I get the pink sanitizer on them. I know it defeats the purpose, but I usually rinse dishes again after using that stuff so it doesn't get in the product. I have tasted it in my drinks before :O

Posted 1 year ago #
Buxmeister

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Yeah man, we lather that damn steam wand with that stuff. There's no way in hell it can be good for us. I used to be convinced it was nothing to worry about, but.. I don't know. Maybe starbucks is using whatever's in the sanitizer to keep people hooked to its drinks.

Posted 1 year ago #
GaveYouDecaf

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I guess I shouldn't worry, I always get iced drinks. The worst that can happen is that I'll swallow some pink mold from the ice machine ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
Dry Sharpie

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That's not pink mold, that's a future Starbucks customer. Just wait while it looks at the menu first.

Posted 1 year ago #
not quite sirens eye

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Heh. Heh.

Posted 1 year ago #
Dry Sharpie

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As far as I'm concerned, Starbucks customers are one generation of evolved pond scum that developed vocal cords and learned to ask for "no foam" or "skinny" drinks.

Posted 1 year ago #
asthesconeburns

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Watch out that you don't develop [occupational] eczema from that stuff. Once you have it, it's sooo hard to get rid of, and as unsightly as much as its painful. I've been battling it for over a year now, have been prescribed several topical steroids (at my own expense, of course...), moved mainly to register (which is often times more painful than my hands) to avoid using the rags as much, but still! Anyone else this bad???

Posted 1 year ago #
not quite sirens eye

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Or iced cappuccinos. I'm still not over that.

Posted 1 year ago #
decafgrande

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I was having terrible, terrible reactions last winter because the sanitizer would dry my hands and wrists, and then I'd go out in the cold and it'd get worse. It was sooooo itchy and I had hives all over my arms.

I gotta watch out again for that soon. :-/

Also, I use this stuff called "Vanos" or whatever, and it's freaking amazing. <3 <3 <3 it.

Posted 1 year ago #
teobandit

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I really do love our chemicals though. Spirit is probably the greatest thing since sliced bread and I could easily go through an entire bottle of it in an 8 hour shift if I was truly dedicated to cleaning.

Blue spray is meh but Dazzle is the greatest thing when you want to impress higher ups with how great of a job you did cleaning something.

The oven cleaner is so basic it literally reeks of causticity but my store doesn't have an oven so I don't have to worry about it too much.

Just be careful with the Urnex and those other little packets of bleach solution or whatever they are. That ****'s deadly.

Posted 1 year ago #
ListoMisto

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why is it even called Spirit.. i cant see the word Spirit on the bottle!

Posted 1 year ago #
IceCapp

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Spirit liquid disinfectant is the thick comet-like cleaner that we use to clean the drains.
Years ago, the restroom cleaner used to be called Spirit Restroom Cleaner. The bottles look similar, but one is sprayable. The only similarity is that they both contain chlorine. But have very different concentrations. The spray is a clear liquid that foams easily (when you spray it, it is white bubbles).

Spirit (the thick stuff) will stain your clothes. It sucks. Restroom cleaner generally won't, unless you get a lot of it.

Posted 1 year ago #
Señor Cardgage

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Eh, the regular spray spirit can pink up my black polos. On that, at me other job, we're uh. Not supposed to put our hands in the sanitizer solution, which is also quats at a 200ppm. We have to wear vinyl gloves. Also, for the bathroom? In case we run into awful biohazards like someone stooled all over the place? We're supposed to bust out a body fluid cleanup kit and follow this long, thorough procedure.

..at the Bux, every store I've ever worked at has only had one (1 (uno(eins))) Body Fluid Clean-Up Kit- and if anyone breaks it out, there will be hell to pay. In my first week many years ago, cleaning up my first demolished bathroom, I was told quite brusquely 'Wear rubber gloves and hold your breath.' Awesome.

Posted 1 year ago #
IceCapp

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I am currently on my 4th pair of pants this year. My attempts to be careful cleaning are but futile. I would just leave the spirited stains... but I've been threatened about being out of dress code.

Posted 1 year ago #

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