Trial Purpose:
Laboratory evaluations of alternative aerosol cleaning products
Date Run:
12/07/2006Experiment Procedure:
Basic cleaning performance testing was conducted using ASTM G122 as the bases for cleaning.
Seven products were selected for testing based on previous testing on the selected soil. All products were in aerosol spray cans. Twenty-one preweighed aluminum coupons were coated with a collection of brake/engine soil collected from an automobile shop. The coupons were allowed to sit for one day before a second weight was recorded. Three coupons were cleaned with each solution for 15 seconds via aerosol spray cans. Coupons were not rinsed and were air dried at room temperature for 2 minutes. Following drying, final weights were recorded and cleaning efficiencies were calculated.
Trial Results:
Five products removed over 90% of the soil using aerosol cleaning for 15 seconds. One product, BioBrake, removed just under 80%. The remaining product, Mirachem 500 A, removed under 10%. During spraying, this product did not have a strong spray flow and did not dislodge/remove much of the soil. However, with a wipe the soil should be easily removed. The WD 40 product also did not have a strong spray flow, but was greater than the Mirachem 500 A. The Brake & Parts cleaner had the greatest spray delivery of all the aerosol products.
The table below lists the amount of soil applied, the amount remaining and the efficiency for each coupon cleaned.
| Cleaner | Initial wt | Final wt | % Removed |
| Bio Brake | 0.2453 | 0.0417 | 83.00 |
| 0.4619 | 0.1095 | 76.29 | |
| 0.5118 | 0.1078 | 78.94 | |
| Mirachem 500 A | 0.4098 | 0.3769 | 8.03 |
| 0.4042 | 0.3809 | 5.76 | |
| 0.2632 | 0.2250 | 14.51 | |
| Brakleen | 0.4361 | 0.0214 | 95.09 |
| 0.4141 | 0.0600 | 85.51 | |
| 0.2924 | 0.0196 | 93.30 | |
| Heavy Duty Cleaner Degreaser | 0.3133 | 0.0420 | 86.59 |
| 0.6793 | 0.0330 | 95.14 | |
| 0.3622 | 0.0260 | 92.82 | |
| Micro X | 0.7132 | 0.0117 | 98.36 |
| 0.7437 | 0.0204 | 97.26 | |
| 0.8229 | 0.0620 | 92.47 | |
| Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner | 0.4152 | 0.0037 | 99.11 |
| 0.5046 | 0.0099 | 98.04 | |
| 0.6540 | 0.0014 | 99.79 | |
| Brake & Parts Cleaner | 1.3045 | 0.0007 | 99.95 |
| 0.5256 | 0.0028 | 99.47 | |
| 0.5833 | 0.0027 | 99.54 |
Success Rating:
Preliminary compatibility tests on substrate coupons encouraging for at least one cleaning chemistry. More in-depth laboratory testing necessary.Conclusion:
Five of the seven products were successful in removing the soil mix. The BioBrake could have removed all of the soil with a longer cleaning time and the Mirachem 500 A would be better for long soak times followed by a wipe.
