Water-Based Cleaners Used as Safer, Greener Alternatives to Solvent Chemistries

This article is based on an original publication by Techspray.

With a ratcheting up of regulations restricting solvent cleaners' environmental footprint, manufacturers are increasingly turning to water-based alternatives despite misconceptions of their inferiority. While cleaning method varies by product type, efficacy does not. Previous formulations of water-based cleaners may have performed poorly; however, today's cleaners, solvent and water-based, are equally effective depending on the application. In fact, numerous water-based cleaners, including Techspray Renew products, surpass solvent cleaners in that they are non-flammable, have low toxicity, low or no VOC and GWP (global warming potential), and are non-hazardous to ship and store.

Water-based cleaners simply work differently than solvents, one reason why the misconception is perpetuated. Solvents clean by solvating or dissolving the soils and reducing them to a solution that flows off the substrate. They are typically high in volatiles, so solvents evaporate quickly and leave little residue. With water-based formulations, soils sit on the surface and must be wiped off.