In the industrial and institutional cleaning world, a degreaser is defined simply as a chemical product that removes grease. However some all-purpose cleaners may also remove some grease. Degreasers are a subset of cleaners, so all degreasers are cleaners but not all cleaners are degreasers.
Degreasers are sometimes known as solvent cleaners and are used to remove grease from surfaces such as oven tops, counters and grill backsplashes. Methylated spirits or white spirit were commonly used as degreasers in the past.
WD-40 Specialist® Cleaner & Degreaser is a water-based, non-flammable, non-aerosol cleaner & degreaser with a unique bio-solvent formula engineered to be powerful yet safe for sensitive surfaces.
Vinegar just doesn't work on removing grease from surfaces because it is an acid. Use an alkaline soap, such as dish soap, for oil spills and messes.
Uses. First, bleach is a disinfectant, not a cleaner. Bleach does a fantastic job of killing bacteria and viruses; it removes tough stains and whitens clothing. But bleach doesn't clean dirt and residue from surfaces on its own.
Dishwashing soap is a degreaser. As dishwashing soaps go, Dawn is a very effective degreaser, is inexpensive as one mixes a few ounces of soap in a quart of water. WD40 is a degreaser and a very light lubricant which will dry quickly.
Sodium Carbonate
This active ingredient helps to break down oil and grease.
Windex (or other similar glass cleaners) could be considered a very light-duty degreaser. Glass cleaners can remove very light oils, like fingerprints, but will fall very short with heavier oils, greases and lubricants.
Using Isopropyl Alcohol As A Degreaser
As mentioned above, IPA is an effective degreaser and can be used to cut grease residues, which can then be easily wiped off the surface. Grease residues are hard to clean and often require more powerful cleaning agents to effectively remove them from surfaces.
Simple Green Industrial Cleaner & Degreaser is a highly versatile cleaner, degreaser & deodorizer that can be used manually or in cleaning equipment to cut through tough dirt, grease, oils & food residue on all water-safe surfaces.
Cleaning agents may be either natural or synthetically developed. They are generally classified as: water, detergents, abrasives, degreasers, acid cleaners, organic solvents, and other cleaning agents.
Degreasers often also contain other ingredients like a petroleum-based solvent or a natural solvent like citrus to further aid in breaking down grease. Nyco's Citra Blaze 535, for example, is a degreaser formulated with a citrus solvent. It cuts through heavy buildups of grease and caked-on food soils quickly.
Grease: Tougher to Dissolve
Try mineral spirits first to remove grease stains, then if necessary, perchloroethylene, which is a better grease solvent and dries fast.
Mix 1 cup of distilled white vinegar, 1/4 cup soap, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, and a couple drops of lemon juice/essential oils. Combine all of these in a bowl and add water. This combines to create a spray to coat your engine. However, some people prefer a thicker vinegar engine degreaser.
The combination produces chlorine gas, as in the chemical warfare agent. Chlorine gas causes coughing and will irritate mucous membranes. It causes chemical burns and can be deadly if concentrations are high enough or exposure is prolonged. Vinegar is not the only acid that produces chlorine gas when mixed with bleach.
3. Degrease cabinets. Dawn's grease-cutting power works just as well on cabinets coated in cooking grease as it does on dishes. Just squirt some on a wet sponge, lather up, and wipe the grime away.
Dawn is a degreasing agent and helps to strip cloth diapers by removing oily residue. Be sure to rinse, rinse, rinse until the water runs clear!
Citric acid is derived from fruits -- often lemons. It is whitening, de-greasing, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. As a natural cleaning ingredient, it really comes into its own in contact with bicarbonate of soda and water, where its fizzing action makes it a powerful cleaning agent.
Bleach plus hydrogen peroxide creates oxygen gas so violently, it can cause an explosion. “One should not mix household cleaners as a general rule,” Langerman says. “You do not necessarily make a strong cleaner by mixing two cleaners together.”
Mixing bleach and vinegar creates potentially lethal chlorine gas. If you notice a pungent smell after mixing household cleaners, you should immediately leave the area and try to breathe in fresh air.
While most cleaning solutions are designed to help loosen soils, so they can be wiped away, degreasers are engineered to breakdown and dissolve grease, oil, wax, and other water-insoluble soils so that they can be removed from surfaces. Degreasers are used most frequently when cleaning commercial kitchens.