Recommendations for quality assessment (EQ)
IKW recommendations for quality assessment (EQ) serve to test the performance of detergents, care and cleaning products in a practical, reproducible and differentiable manner. The EQs are developed jointly by manufacturers of these products, manufacturers of ingredients, testing institutes and, in some cases, manufacturers of the surfaces to be cleaned.
EQ for paint care products for motor vehicles
In April 2023, the ‘EQ Paint Polishes for Motor Vehicles’ was published in the SOFW Journal as the third and final part of the EQ for paint care products for motor vehicles, following Part 1 for paint cleaners in 2018 and Part 2 for paint preservatives in 2022.
EQ for detergents
An IKW working group is currently developing new EQs for heavy-duty/all-purpose detergents, colour/colour detergents and mild detergents that take current consumer needs and behaviour into account. The following three quality criteria are to be developed and optimised:
- Cleaning performance,
- textile protection,
- and optionally the fresh fragrance.
EQ of the cleaning performance of hand dishwashing detergents
An IKW working group is updating the EQ for hand dishwashing detergents, including modifying and supplementing the ‘dishwashing test’ of the currently valid EQ, taking consumer relevance into account. In addition, the two new test methods for hand dishwashing detergents, ‘Soak and wipe’ and ‘Soak and rinse’, are to be established. The work has largely been completed. It is planned to publish the individual test methods one after the other in autumn 2024 and at the beginning of 2025.