Tag Archives: Cleaning

Cleaning blog posts | Our Photodon blog offers advice on ways to protect and improve your viewing experience on you device with protective solutions.

Man drying a car with a microfiber cloth

Microfiber: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

| By Jolynn Paige

As far as our customers' favorite cleaning tools go, Photodon microfiber cloths are right up there with vacuums.

We hear from our customers all the time about how they use the microfiber cloths they purchase from us.  While we sometimes get a chuckle out of their creativity (we never laugh at them, always WITH them), we feel good that we're helping so many people with the not-so-fun tasks of everyday cleaning.

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You'll Love The Fascinating Anatomy of Microfiber Cloths

| By Jolynn Paige

What Makes Microfiber Technology So Powerful?

A Unique Blend of Materials 

Microfiber technology is based upon using specialized industrial machines to weave together synthetic materials — typically 80% polyester and 20% polyamide (nylon). Combining these materials makes microfiber tough, versatile, and long-lasting.  Polyester allows for polishing surfaces while at the same time preventing the cloth from scratching fine or delicate surfaces The nylon prevents the material from shedding fibers and keeps it strong, elastic, and resistant to abrasion and chemicals. It is only with both materials together that you get what is known today as microfiber. Its phenomenal absorbency gives rise to thousands of applications, including cleaning and drying many surfaces.

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Microfiber Cloths for Industry

| By Mandy Peterson

There are many applications for Photodon Microfiber Cloths in the industrial world.  Cloths for screens, displays, smooth and rough surfaces, or fine and detailed applications. We're confident that you will find the weave to match your needs. We offer several different cloth options for you to choose from. We also offer microfiber promotional options if you'd like to promote your industry in a unique way.

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10 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Microfiber to Clean

| By Mandy Peterson

Microfiber cloths:

  • are non-abrasive: Looped microfiber is ideal for gently "buffing" dirt off from delicate surfaces such as glass or screens.
  • are lint-free (in most cases).
  • give a streak-free clean. The average "normal" cleaning rag pushes dust and dirt around, causing smearing.
  • do not scratch surfaces.
  • grab dust/grime particles.
  • soak away liquid (even oil) with fantastic wicking action.
  • become electrostatically charged, which also helps attract/remove dust, hair, and little "fuzzies."
  • dry quickly because of their special loop weave. In fact, this material dries in one-third the time of ordinary cleaning cloths.
  • are absorbent. Microfiber holds up to seven times its weight in liquid. With a couple of firm wrings, this impressive material is ready to mop up until the mess is gone.
  • are washable and reusable (washable up to 500 times).

Flat weave versus looped weave:

Microfiber is a blend of two synthetic material types: polyesters and polyamides, and there are two different ways that microfiber is woven together. One is the "flat" weave and the other is a "looped" weave.

Flat weave: This weave repels water and is used in the textile industry for making water-resistant clothing and accessories such as watchbands. This type of microfiber – and any other type of fabric which is similarly woven –  is not ideal for use as a cleaning cloth since it will only push particles around and not absorb them.

A super-magnified view of flat-woven microfiber.

Looped weave: To be useful for cleaning, microfiber must be separated during processing. This method consists of splitting the polyester (the scrubbing fiber) from the polyamide (the absorbing and quick-drying fiber). Once the microfiber is split, the fibers are woven into a fabric. The percentage of material normally consists of 70% to 80% polyester and 20% to 30% polyamide, depending on the style of fabric construction.

The polyester and polyamide are then combined during weaving to create hundreds of thousands of microscopic "loops." This web-like formation of "loops" grabs dust, grime, dirt, and oil and traps it within the weave, making this material one of the safest cleaning tools to use.  

A super-magnified view of looped weave microfiber.

What makes loop-weaved microfiber so superior for cleaning?

Microfiber cloths are green and eco-friendly because they can be re-washed with a mild detergent in the washing machine and can even be placed into the dryer. Fabric softener should never be used with microfiber cloths because it weakens the static charge of the filaments and reduces the effectiveness.

Also available on the Photodon website:

Sample Cloth Packs for trying a few microfiber cloths without a large commitment.

Silky Microsoft Cleaning Kit

Promotional Microfiber Cloths

Photodon offers many different weaves of microfiber cloths. From cloths to clean lenses and smaller screens to cloths for cleaning larger screens like computer monitors and TVs, there is a microfiber cloth for every purpose. There are also general-purpose cloths that work great on other surfaces.

You can contact us at 847-377-1185, M-F 9:00a.m – 5:00pm EST, or email us at [email protected] for more information.

Photodon's screen protectors can be cleaned with disinfectants and bleach.

Clean Photodon Screen Protectors with Bleach and Sanitizers

| By Jolynn Paige

What Hospitals Need to Know About Our Products  

Now that the coronavirus has arrived, electronic devices are being cleaned regularly, especially ones used in medical facilities.  To ensure these devices are cleaned properly, hospital-grade type disinfectants are being used directly on expensive digital screens which, if not protected, can cause damage to the screen.  Our screen protectors hold up to harsh chemicals and can save your device screen’s life.  Below you’ll see what we did to prove this.  

  
The Test – HSC and MXH Screen Protectors and Anti-Bacterial Cleaning Solutions: 

Our Photodon lab technicians created a bleach test to see how our HSC and MXH screen protector materials would hold up to being regularly cleaned with hospital-grade Clorox Bleach Germicidal Wipes. 

We used a standard office monitor and wiped down the screens two times daily with the bleach wipes for a period of 30 days.  The results were clear:  the screen protectors' clarity and protection were not compromised, which means the screen itself was not either! 


Features and Specifications of Photodon’s HSC and MXH Screen Protectors: 

Our screen protectors can be part of your company’s cost-reduction program by avoiding the need to replace expensive screens, whether it be for medical equipment screens that can be damaged by regular and necessary cleaning requirements especially at this time, to manufacturing-type devices, laptops, monitors, TVs, or any other device screen. 

Our HSC and MXH Materials: 

  • Are resistant to yellowing, even when cleaned with harsh chemicals 
  • Are touchscreen-compatible 
  • Are an affordable solution 
  • Are great protection for your screen and offer different finishes.  HSC is a clear, glass-like option, where MXH offers an anti-glare, matte finish 
  • Protect your devices from scratches and blunt force impact 
  • Withstand daily wipe-downs with hospital-grade disinfectants, including bleach wipes 
  • Can be custom-cut for any device (up to 40.5” tall) 
  • Are easily removable with no residue left on the screen 
  • Come with installation kits and detailed instructions for an easier installation 

Photodon’s Advice: 

Replace the screen protector – not the screen. 

While we have not tested our other materials, we believe that our other screen protector material types would respond the same way if tested with the bleach wipes. Should chemicals degrade the PET material over time, it can be inexpensively replaced, while the same cannot be said of replacing the actual device screen. 

The Bottom Line: 

Touchscreen use is increasing in medical-type environments from patients using equipment to check in and check out, to doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and other staff.  It pleases us to know that we can provide a high-quality, affordable option for protecting these heavily used and expensive devices. We specialize in custom solutions, and we offer 11 screen protector materials and 3 privacy filter materials. We have quick turn-around times and will work with you to get you what you need when you need it! 

You can contact us at 847-377-1185, M-F 9:00a.m – 5:00pm EST, or email us at [email protected].

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A customer's photo of the TopMix 2 Paint Mixer

Photodon Protects the TopMix2 Paint Mixer From Harsh Cleaners

| By Jolynn Paige

THE PROBLEM:

Several months ago, a new customer named Jason – an owner of a Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting business in Minnesota – called Photodon.  His problem?  He had been purchasing a protective cover for his Satorius TopMix2 Paint Terminal that

A) didn't fit (it was like a bag around the machine);

B) was expensive (around $100.00); and

C) had to be replaced monthly because the plastic would get damaged when the paint had to be cleaned off it.

The TopMix touch screen is connected to a scale and mixer.  When the paint is mixed, as you can imagine, it can splatter.  In addition, the paint shop workers often touch the screen with gloves that have paint on them.  This means that the very expensive touch screen needs to be protected.

Jason explained, "I use a paint thinner to clean the screen about once a week, and the protector I'm using gets damaged quickly. I'm spending a fortune on these protective covers.  I'm hoping you can help me."

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It's been a long day...

Tips For Better Screen Viewing in the Workplace

| By Jolynn Paige

Ergonomists — those who are concerned with providing the safest environment for workers — know that long-term computer use can lead to serious health hazards.  Staring at a monitor screen for hours on end can be irritating to a worker's eyes, causing headaches, fatigue, eye strain, and even long-term eye damage.

Here are some helpful tips to make viewing a computer screen for long periods of time more ergonomically-friendly, which may, in turn, create a safer and more productive environment for the workplace.

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Grasshopper

Photodon Believes It's Easy Bein' “Green”

| By Jolynn Paige

These days most of us are looking for ways to do just about everything a little "greener." We know it's the little things that, in the long run, will make a big impact.

Here at Photodon, we're always looking for more ways to do our part in keeping a cleaner environment.  Many of our materials are repurposed; we believe these little things that we practice help create "greener" tomorrows.

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