
A steady supply of industrial cleaner is a requirement for every sector, including manufacturing, marine, renewable energy and oil and gas production.
However, given the exceptionally high demands on operations, from extreme environmental considerations, loads and temperatures, safety risks, regulations and running costs, specialist cleaning solutions are a necessity.
Products must maintain optimal surface cleanliness, but also need to be compatible with component materials, meet legislation and promote operational safety and efficiency. This remains true whether sites use heavy-weight cleaners for large-scale processing in manufacturing, sector specific cleaning solutions that meet exacting maritime conditions in marine applications, or products to keep plants and factories food safe.
Here, we look in detail at choosing the correct industrial cleaner for an application, examining different product types and their features and benefits.
Industrial cleaner types
As touched on above, industrial cleaners are used in a diverse range of applications in many different sectors.
Production and manufacturing sites employ them to clean work surfaces, equipment, machinery and components. In transportation, cleaners effectively remove dirt, grease, oil and deposits, while in marine applications, they maintain the functionality and cleanliness of vessels, ridding them of iron oxide, salt deposits and other forms of contamination.
Various formats exist for industrial cleaners to meet specific cleaning needs. These include degreasers, detergents and solvents.
Degreasers
A potent product designed to eliminate oil and grease buildup, degreasers see frequent use in multiple industrial applications.
These include maintenance of industrial equipment, heavy machinery, manufacturing sites and repair work. The key role of degreasers is to remove grease and oil deposits effectively, offering the benefits of extending the active service life of machinery and ensuring maximum operating performance.
Degreasers can remove heavy oils, grease and grime on industrial equipment and machinery, but also extract buildup on metal components, parts and work tops at manufacturing sites like plants and factories. They degrease heavy machinery employed in industries like mining and construction, and see use in repair and maintenance work, removing stubborn, dirt, grease and oil, all of which impair equipment functionality.
They are ideal for cleaning large oily work areas like engineering shops and garage floors. Finally, they supply a heavy-duty wash for drilling equipment, cleaning rigs and machinery for oil fields.
Detergents
A tried and trusted solution, detergents are often used for hard surface maintenance and general-purpose cleaning tasks. Their formula includes surfactants that facilitate effective dirt and grime removal.
Detergents are applied in a broad spectrum of industrial applications and environments. These include, but are not limited to: concrete floors; motor and aircraft parts; industrial machinery and equipment; stoves; air filtering systems and hoods in food processing plants; surface preparation prior to painting; oil refinery tanks; bilge cleaning on boats and in printing presses. Some modern detergents are designed for convenience and don’t require rinsing after use.
Cutting-edge industrial detergents are designed to tackle cleaning tasks that previously needed solvents, which see limited use today due to increasingly stringent regulations and the potential health hazard they present. Water-based detergents are designed to get the right results while providing enhanced operational safety when in use.
Solvents
Far stronger solutions than detergents and degreasers, solvents are powerful industrial cleaners that include chemical agents designed to dissolve and disperse stubborn substances such as adhesives, oils and paints. They are predominantly encountered in industries like maintenance, manufacturing and electronics.
Solvent cleaners can be extremely useful to degrease hard industrial surfaces with little effort. As a result, they perform a critical role in extracting contaminants and eradicating stubborn stains on a wide variety of mechanical equipment and surfaces.
They can rid surfaces of sealants, coatings and adhesives, and clean grease buildup, lubricants and heavy oil off equipment parts. When metal needs coating or painting, solvents can degrease surfaces for improved application, but they can also clean coolant systems and complex electronic components.
From heavy duty jobs like degreasing industrial moulds and tools and extracting asphalt and tar residue, to simple tasks like cleaning off marker and ink stains, solvents are an effective solution for multiple applications.
How do you select the correct industrial cleaner?
When choosing an industrial cleaning product, it is vital to determine the specific application requirements and pick products that can answer regulations and operational aims alike.
You must consider multiple factors as part of your selection process. These include cleaning needs, ease of use, effectiveness, compatibility with materials, compliance guidelines, health and safety, budgetary constraints, standards and certification, and environmental impact.
With many options offered from leading brands like Morris Lubricants, Mobil and Paratherm, understanding the types of industrial cleaners, their applications and the factors involved when choosing a suitable product is critical. By making an informed decision, industrial operations can promote site safety, cleanliness and optimised performance.