# Ohhhh the many uses for engine degreaser



## konsole (Feb 8, 2009)

Is it just me or does engine degreaser seem like such an excellent cleaner for almost every application, and ironically the only thing I havent found it effective on is heavy duty grease? I first started using a degreaser about 3 months ago and have been going nuts using it to clean stuff around the house. its just amazing what this stuff does without any scrubbing. The stuff I have is ZEP Industrial Purple and at first I bought the 1 gallon jug for about $10 and then I went back and bought the 10? gallon container for $35 and its actually kinda fun to use. You may think I am weird but I have taken apart my keyboard and mouse and soaked them in the degreaser with incredible effectiveness, also soaked my sandals in it along with my car keys both with amazing results. Of course I started using it on my car especially on the steel rims and tires, but I figure it had to be useful on many many other things.

What about you guys? Do you use an engine degreaser on your vehicle and other things around the house? What other things have you found it does a really good job of cleaning?

I see the use for a few other household cleaners but this stuff seems like it could replace just about every other general purpose cleaner that sits in a kitchen or bathroom cupboard. There are a handful of things that the label says to not use on though so it does have a few "non-applications" including aluminum, copper and a few others but thats not much of a problem. Also the stuff is pretty potent so its best to minimize inhalation and getting on your skin, but when all is said and done I dont see why its not much better to buy a 10 gallon concentrated container that makes 100 gallons after its dilluted with water for $35 then paying much much more for much less effective common household cleaner.


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Konsole, do you suppose it would work on a stove top? All of mine comes clean, except for a few stubborn small brown spots directly around the burners (gas stove).

I've tried everything else I can think of. 

Do they sell it in a spray bottle?

Barb


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## konsole (Feb 8, 2009)

It can't hurt to try it. There arent many things that the label says to not use the degreaser on. If you buy a concentrated degreaser that says to dillute it like 10:1 water:degreaser then you most likely have some very potent stuff. If the material you want to clean is listed on the label as things not to apply the degreaser to then you may be safe doing it but do a small test clean on a hidden area first to see how it ends up. Most likely the degreaser will affect the material in some way but you may not mind what it does. If the material isnt listed on the label then I would still do a test first but theres only about 10 or so specific materials that it says to not use the degreaser on. The 2 materials that I have found that are affected are polished aluminum (turns cloudy in appearance), and whatever sealer was on my desktop because I tried it on my desktop and LOL it basically stripped the table down to bare wood, which wasnt so bad because I could apply a fresh coat of sealer/stain. I had alot of fun using it to clean my mountain bike and it basically melts the brown off of car tires, which is a chemical in the tires that helps prevent cracking but I guess not after it has reached the outer edge of the tire. So after using it my car tires look black like they did new.

Be careful were you using a concentrated degreaser also because the stuff is a little irritating if you inhale it and keeping off your skin is preferable because the stuff is kinda slimy and not easy to get off with water alone plus if you leave it on your skin for a while it will have some short term negative affects to your skin but nothing that lasts more then a day or two. Its ideal to use some kind of glove when using it especially if you have cuts on your hands because it will a burning sensation on these cuts. I get it on my hands almost everytime I use it without any long term affects and hot water and a bit of rubbing will eventually get it off though it does take a little time and soap is much more effective to get it off your skin.

There may be better cleaners that are "multi purpose" but for something advertised as Engine Degreaser its just amazed me how it works so well on so many applications. Now I look at all the dilluted name brand cleaners on the shelves and kinda laugh and how much less effective they are and more expensive. Sure I guess alot of the cleaners out there are safer to use and have a pleasant smell or whatever but I want something thats gonna get down and do the dirt work.

Also in case you didnt know, when I was cleaning up my car rims I found out that gasoline does an excellent job of melting away stuck on asphalt from having driven over newly paved road. After having my car for over 3 years and trying to use carwash cleaner to clean the wheels I finally got to using the gasoline for the stuck on asphalt and the degreaser for just about everything else on the wheel and now the wheels and tires look like new.


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## H. A. S. (Aug 18, 2010)

I hear ya. I think all the brand name cleaners have been diluted down, they don't seem to have the power that they had 50 years ago.


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