Need Water Soluble Degreaser/Cleaner Recommendations

extropic said:
Easy-Off aerosol cans are a lye based product. However, the liquid I wrote about is not.

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That stuff works out to $20/gallon. Not overly expensive if it does what you want.

I've been using Simple Green Pro. It doesn't hurt aluminum, and cleans nicely.

Purple Power is crazy strong. I've used it, but it's more harsh than many other cleaners. Maybe that's why it works so well? I don't know, but I don't use it normally.
 
All of these great cleaners are from the same family of chemicals. The industrial name is ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, but it's proper name is 2-butoxyethanol. They make different varieties, but they're all good surfactants. The one thing that makes the biggest difference with these cleaners is heat. They work fine cold, but they get ripping at steaming temp.
 
Nesse1 said:
That stuff works out to $20/gallon. Not overly expensive if it does what you want.

I've been using Simple Green Pro. It doesn't hurt aluminum, and cleans nicely.

Purple Power is crazy strong. I've used it, but it's more harsh than many other cleaners. Maybe that's why it works so well? I don't know, but I don't use it normally.
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Perhaps I should have said "unnecessarily expensive". Your example of Simple Green Pro is $15.58/gal at Home Depot and the label says it makes 14 gallons. Concentration would have to be experimented with to satisfy personal choice. However, even at full strength, I prefer to save a few bucks.

Thanks for the recommendations.
 
extropic said:
I see some of the labels say "Professional Strength Concentrate" but I don't see any dilution recommendations at the OE web site.
Do you dilute it with water or use it straight?
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I will second the recommendation for Oil Eater. Been using it for quite a few years and it does work well. It can be used full strength or diluted with water as needed. I even use it as a spot remover on my work clothes just before putting them in the washing machine.

Ted
 
extropic said:
Perhaps I should have said "unnecessarily expensive". Your example of Simple Green Pro is $15.58/gal at Home Depot and the label says it makes 14 gallons. Concentration would have to be experimented with to satisfy personal choice. However, even at full strength, I prefer to save a few bucks.

Thanks for the recommendations.
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I like the SG Pro sauce. It's an excellent cleaner, but for really greasy stuff I use mineral spirits. The SGP is second operation.
 
pontiac428 said:
All of these great cleaners are from the same family of chemicals. The industrial name is ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, but it's proper name is 2-butoxyethanol. They make different varieties, but they're all good surfactants. The one thing that makes the biggest difference with these cleaners is heat. They work fine cold, but they get ripping at steaming temp.
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yep, I used tsp for my lathe, and boiled the old paint and grease away. I used a single burner camping stove, and a big pot.... The paint came off in sheets, and the cast iron was super clean, all pores were clean, and great tooth for paint. But you need to treat it immediately after rinsing it off.

I also use simple green with heat.. wonderful results. I keep a jar of simple green in the shop to dip aluminum parts after machining to clean them off. I also put stuff in my ultrasonic cleaner with simple green.
 
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