The "Clean" Version

I love road trips. It’s a good thing because when you live in the middle of nowhere, everywhere you go is a trip. Some of the roads are even paved.

Whether the “trip” is seven or seventy minutes long, inevitably one of the kids will ask if they can be “DJ”. In our vehicle, the coveted DJ role involves picking songs for the whole family to enjoy (or complain about). Our children have their own unique gifts, but even as a parent, I can objectively say that disc jockeying is not one of them. 

Caden is DJ Randy (short for random). Though his personal favorites are country western, he will play a variety of cross-genre, cross-generational music. His last stint as Bluetooth master went like this: Jackson 5, Michael Bublé, The Eagles, Roy Orbison, and Zach Williams.

Carson is DJ Jingle. He favors showtunes and parodies, even commercials. You have to watch him, though, he’s been known to slip an AFV or Try Not To Laugh videos in the middle of your jam. His playlist may look like this: Rhett and Link, Danny Gokey, Mulan (the illustrated version), Grease, and Weird Al Yankovic. 

Lydia is DJ Belter. She likes powerful female vocals and country songs with plenty of twang. She also enjoys hip hop, soulful tunes with a touch of jazz, and classic ballads. Her tour of DJ duty usually includes artists like Lauren Daigle, Adele, Toby Mac, Blake Shelton, and Bon Jovi.

Regardless of the artist, popularity, or number of YouTube covers, they know to pick the “clean” version. With the Christian artists, there is no concern, but too many times they’ve heard a popular song on the radio only to play it for us on YouTube then scramble to turn it down when an f-bomb is dropped or suddenly a lyric’s inappropriate innuendo is understood. Inevitably, the vehicular audience interjects with a chorus of, “That’s not the clean version!”

True Clean

DJ disasters aside, what is does “clean” really mean? As a dictionary nerd, (yes, I subscribe to “Word of the Day”), one of my favorite resources, dictionary.com, says, “free from dirt; unsoiled; unstained” and “free from extraneous matter.” 

Lately, “cleaning” means much more than removing dust or debris. We want to be proactive against germs that can cause illness.  That’s why we buy products that “sanitize,” “disinfect,” “deodorize,” and “kill germs”. A search for “cleaning products” on my browser reveals several categories: all natural, safe, best household, homemade, environmentally friendly, industrial, and the list goes on.  With so many choices, it’s enough to make a person decidophobic. Too often, cleaning products only leave me with more questions (which may be a decidophobiac’s coping mechanism). Is it enough to just clean surfaces or should they be sanitized? Disinfected? What’s the difference? What makes a surface “safe,” and how long does it stay that way?

In developing a cleanser that works on both skin and surfaces, I’ve done a lot of research on the chemistry behind true clean. I decided to ditch my brand loyalty (I still love you, blue Dawn dishwashing liquid!) and get down to the nitty gritty of cleaning products, focusing on two components: surfactants and solvents.  I’ll skip the chemistry lecture and summarize.

Surfactants lower the surface tension of liquids, allowing them to spread out and remove dirt and grime. Ingredients that stabilize cleaning formulas and dissolve soils are known as solvents. In the COMPEL formula, Lauramine oxide is our surfactant and Ethyl alcohol is the solvent.

Neutral pH Clean

An oft-overlooked factor that may be as important as the ingredients, especially when a cleaning product claims to be “safe,” is the pH of a product. The pH is a solution’s level of acidity or alkalinity on a logarithmic scale (1-14). Both acidic (0-7) and alkaline (7-14) can be corrosive, especially as the pH moves farther from seven. There are many benefits to cleaners that are neutral, or seven, pH.   

• Safe for surfaces and people
• Safer for the environment
• Less potential for toxicity by inhalation
• Less toxic to skin and mucous membranes
• Effective on hard-to-remove fats, greases, body oils and proteins
• Gentle on fabrics and hard surfaces

While most cleaning products won’t tell you the pH, read the label. If it advises you to wash your hands with soap and water after use, or requires rinsing before direct contact with skin, it is not likely to be pH neutral. Remember, those products are only effective if used according to directions. 

Safe and Effective Clean

The COMPEL Skin & Surface formula’s pH is in the 6-7 range making it safe for skin and effective enough for surfaces. When skin is free from dirt and contaminants, when germs that may cause infection are removed from surfaces, and when both are healthier after applying the product, that is what I consider clean. 

Not many disinfectants can say they were developed first as a skin cleanser, one that nourishes skin and works with the body’s natural barrier. Not many skin cleansers can say they gently, yet effectively clean a variety of surfaces including wood, plastic, Formica, vinyl, glass, and fabrics. Our efficacy testing goes beyond FDA and EPA standards with swabs taken immediately after applying COMPEL, 24-48 hours post application, and even ONE WEEK after application. I have yet to see that kind of research on any other product on the market but COMPEL is anything but another cleaner on the market. It is a solution to the serious, on-going problem of cleanliness and hygiene. It is the definition of clean in a world that is struggling to find relief; to feel protected.    

Whether sanitizing skin or surfaces, dealing with dirt or DJs, COMPEL is the true “clean version.”

For more information on COMPEL, visit getcompel.com/pages/the-science.

For more information on neutral pH, visit The Chemistry of Cleaning (cmmonline.com)

For more information on what it means to be truly clean, visit Psalm 51 NIV - Psalm 51 - For the director of music. A - Bible Gateway