What is the difference between a degreaser and a regular cleaner?

Degreasers differ from regular cleaners in the following ways:

Element

Degreasing agent: usually contains surfactants, organic solvents, alkaline substances and other ingredients. Surfactants can reduce the surface tension of liquids, making oil stains easier to wet and emulsify; organic solvents can dissolve oils; alkaline substances can saponify oils and convert them into water-soluble substances, thus achieving the purpose of degreasing.

Ordinary detergents: The ingredients are quite diverse, generally including surfactants, additives, fragrances, pigments, etc. Depending on the cleaning object and function, some special ingredients may be added, such as citric acid for descaling, sodium hypochlorite for disinfection, etc., but they usually do not contain a large amount of organic solvents and strong alkaline substances used for special degreasing.

Cleaning principle

Degreasers: They mainly remove grease through saponification, emulsification, and dissolution. Alkaline components react with fatty acids in grease to form soap and glycerin, converting the grease into water-soluble substances; the lipophilic groups of surfactant molecules adsorb on the surface of grease, with the hydrophilic groups facing outwards, forming an emulsion, dispersing the grease in water; organic solvents directly dissolve grease, separating it from the surface of the object.

Ordinary detergents: rely on the wetting, penetration, emulsification, and dispersion effects of surfactants to separate dirt from the surface of objects and suspend it in water, and then remove it by rinsing. For some special stains, such as scale and rust stains, chemical reactions are carried out using corresponding acidic or complexing agents to convert insoluble stains into soluble substances, thereby achieving the purpose of cleaning.

Applicable scenarios

Degreasing agent: Mainly used in industrial fields, such as metal processing, machinery manufacturing, automobile maintenance and other industries to remove oil, grease, cutting fluid and other pollutants from the surface of metal parts and equipment; in the food processing industry, it is also used to remove grease residues on food processing equipment; and in some electronic industrial fields that require high cleanliness, it is used to remove grease and other pollutants from the surface of electronic components to ensure product quality.

Ordinary cleaners: widely used in cleaning at home and in daily life, such as cleaning kitchen countertops, floors, and tableware, cleaning toilets and bathroom tiles, and removing general stains on clothing; in commercial and office places, they are also used to clean dust and stains on surfaces such as furniture, floors, and windows.

Cleaning effect

Degreaser: It has a strong ability to remove grease stains. It can quickly and thoroughly remove various stubborn oil stains, making the surface of objects highly clean, especially for the thick oil layer accumulated over a long period of time.

Ordinary detergent: It has a good cleaning effect on general stains in daily life, such as dust, sweat stains, light oil stains, etc., but for heavy grease stains, it may need to be used multiple times or in combination with other special cleaning methods to achieve a better cleaning effect.

Security

Degreasing agent: Because it contains organic solvents and strong alkaline substances, it is corrosive and irritating. If used improperly, it may cause damage to human skin, eyes, etc. Contact with the skin will cause skin degreasing, drying, redness, pain, and even burns; if the volatile gas is accidentally ingested or inhaled, it may also cause damage to the respiratory tract, digestive tract, etc. At the same time, degreasing agents also have a certain impact on the environment, and their wastewater needs to be specially treated before it can be discharged.

Ordinary detergents: They are usually relatively mild and less irritating to the human body. As long as they are used according to normal instructions and precautions, they generally will not cause serious harm to the human body. The impact on the environment is also relatively small, but some detergents containing ingredients such as phosphorus may cause eutrophication and other pollution problems to water bodies. Now many ordinary detergents are also developing in the direction of environmental protection and phosphorus-free.