Degreaser & All Purpose Cleaner

A degreaser and all purpose cleaner or also called APC is such a versatile product that it cannot be left out when washing or detailing your car. It is a product you can use on all surfaces and materials if you dilute it correctly. For example, you can use a strong concentration of it to degrease your engine compartment and remove all the dirt, grease and burnt-on oil. Or you can dilute it well with water and clean your interior with it. With a degreaser or all-purpose cleaner, you decide how strong a cleaning product you need. It can speed up your work considerably by attacking stubborn dirt with a strong cleaner. Using a brush does always improve the performance of a degreaser.

You will find that the term degreaser and all-purpose cleaner can therefore be taken very broadly. There are the most traditional alkaline all-purpose cleaners and also water stain removers and isopropyl alcohol degreasers that are used to degrease the paint before applying a coating.

What exactly is the difference between a regular degreaser and an all-purpose cleaner? Usually the difference is whether the formula is made up of citrus or not. Citrus is actually a solvent that has a very good cleaning but can be aggressive on certain surfaces such as leather, paint protection, dashboard instruments, and so on. Some brands also use a stronger concentrate with onvetters and sometimes make the all cleaner ready to use. Usually by reading both descriptions you can figure out what the formula of the product is so you know which one best suits your needs.

As told earlier, we also offer isopropyl alcohol degreasers. These are not comparable to the standard degreaser and all-purpose cleaner. This is because isopropyl alcohol is not made to loosen or remove dirt, they are not even made to be used in conjunction with a brush. They are specifically made to be used in conjunction with a microfiber cloth to degrease surfaces before you apply protection such as a coating. It removes dust but the formula is specifically for removing oils and silicones. These impede the bonding process in a coating and thus must be removed before application. We also have a specific section for this in the protection preparation category.

We also have water stain cleaners. These remove water stains that can get on your car and especially the paintwork after washing your car. This is because there are minerals in tap water that when the water dries on the car the minerals remain on the paintwork. If these minerals are not removed they can begin to burn into the paint and cause permanent damage. This will force you to polish, sand or even repaint the paint. If you use a water spot cleaner along with a microfiber cloth, you can remove them in time before damage occurs. You can prevent water spots by using a water filtration system or by using a drying aid spray when the paint is still wet. We recommend using a ceramic detailing spray while drying which makes it easy to dry your car with your drying cloth and while preventing water stains. If you give your car a ceramic coating or have it installed then the chance of water spots is also drastically reduced.

So a degreaser and all-purpose cleaner always comes in handy. Whether it's to clean your tires or to clean your leather. With the right dilution and the right brush, you can always clean all surfaces. Because of that, we think every detailer should have a degreaser and all-purpose cleaner.