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Preceeding blogs have described two ways of reducing the ionic content of water for use in washing and rinsing applications.  Although both reduce ionic content, the process commonly called “De-Ionization” uses a treated resin to capture ions while the “Reverse Osmosis” process uses a semi-permeable membrane.  Choosing between the two in the design of a cleaning process … Continued

First of all, I would like to thank those of you have become “regulars” to the blog.  Having written over 165 “informational” entries now, I am anxious to lift the blog to another level including reader discussions.  Reader comments have always been welcome.  For those of you who haven’t figured it out, all you have … Continued

The technology of parts cleaning is a very sophisticated science today.  Most cleaning challenges can be met with the proper combination of equipment, chemistry and technique.  In my 45 year involvement with parts cleaning, I have seen many twists and turns along the way.  Applications that were considered “impossible” 10 or 20 years ago are … Continued

Water, the “universal” solvent is the center of most cleaning applications in the home.  Water, at least in my location in the US, is readily available, plentiful and relatively inexpensive.  Water plus a small amount of overly expensive and competitively merchandised chemicals does an admirable job of cleaning dishes and clothes which constitute about 50% of … Continued

Gee Whiz!  I was sure somebody would challenge me on the last blog about washing dishes at home.  But, since there are no comments (or fire bombs) in my inbox, I guess everybody agrees that the most efficient way to wash dishes at home is the “old fashioned” way with a dish rag and dish drainer.  … Continued

Blackstone Ultrasonics was founded in the mid 1950’s in the hope that the addition of ultrasonic agitation to a conventional clothes washer would revolutionize laundering of fabrics.  It didn’t take long before it was recognized that ultrasonic techniques weren’t going to be effective – at least not by simply adding ultrasonic transducers to a conventional … Continued

It doesn’t matter if you call it soap, solvent, surface preparation, or whatever, chemistry is an important part of nearly every cleaning process.  The first purpose of the chemistry in a cleaning application is to either dissolve the contaminant or, using some other mechanism, to break the attachment that the contaminant has to the substrate.  … Continued

The preceding post defined two dimensions of concern when considering cleaning orifices.  Before moving on, let’s now consider how the various types of contamination that might be found in an orifice and how each affects the cleaning task. Liquids – Liquids are common contaminants in orifices.  Liquid contamination can result from manufacturing operations but also … Continued

Water is often referred to as the “universal solvent.”  Yet, as we all know, its hard to get grime off of your hands clean without using some soap!  Water, however, is an attractive “solvent” as it is plentiful, relatively cheap and safe.  The problem is that water just isn’t good at getting things clean all by … Continued

Acidic cleaning chemistries were discussed in a preceding blog.  Now let’s talk about the second of the three classifications of chemistry we defined – caustics.  Caustics are materials that are basic as opposed to acidic in nature.  The use of caustics for cleaning, especially for removing oils and greases, can be traced to the ancients.  … Continued