TRANSBRITE Blog

What is happening with Solvents?

That is one question worth asking in the industrial cleaning industry. Solvents have been in use for decades in the automotive industry. But many factors are pushing this product and process out of transmission shops and garages across the country.

These harsh chemicals are effective, there is no debating that. We have noticed the reasons for the switch have more to do with budget and worker safety. While solvents sure can clean a part, they also require hours of scrubbing at the solvent tank. I am sure most technicians will list the activity as one of their most hated responsibilities. And what is worse, it takes hours!

This can be costly for businesses, as well as counterproductive. When considering the alternative, companies are just throwing their money away when they have their technicians standing at a solvent sink scrubbing for hours. There are dozens and dozens of more profitable activities they can be attending to. We’re talking thousands of dollars a year per technician! An automatic parts washer allows time to perform these functions while parts are being cleaned in a cost effective, environmentally “green” manner.

Solvent process time consumption is not the worst of it. Solvents are harsh and contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Contact with skin can be dangerous and it is not pleasant on the eyes to be standing over a solvent tank for a couple of hours on a hot, humid afternoon.

Looks like he’s having fun…

It’s not that we should debate the effectiveness of a Solvent Cleaner, but just that the rules of the game are changing. The government is introducing regulations for waste removal, and solvents aren’t exactly something you should be pouring down your drain or spilling out onto the street…

Solvents may be a thing of the past, which is why we are gearing up all of our aqueous-based cleaning products and not turning back. From detergents to washers, we’re heading where the market is.