There is no doubt that brakes are a very important part of a car. If there’s one thing that needs to be looked after all the time, it’s the brake system. Because brakes are exposed to grease, brake dust, road debris, grime, and petroleum-based brake fluid all the time, they get dirty very quickly. Needed: A quick way to get rid of these pesky varmints was needed. To make brake cleaner, someone came up with the idea.
As the name implies, the main goal of brake cleaner is to make sure that your brakes are free of the contaminants above. It’s still good to use brake cleaner, but there are even more benefits to it than that. As you read this guide, you’ll learn about the features of a brake cleaner, as well as safety tips and other uses.
What Is Brake Cleaner?
Colorless brake cleaner, also known as parts cleaner, is said to be a solvent that evaporates without leaving any dirt behind on the metal or glass surface. It is mostly used to clean brake disks, engine parts, and other metal parts that get dirty.
Organochlorides are chlorine compounds that were used to make old brake cleaners. It is an example of an organochloride. Tetrachloroethylene is one of them. In some cases, the solvent 1, 1, 1, trichloroethane, a chloro alkane, could also be used. It was banned a few years ago because of its ozone-depleting properties.
They are made up of aliphatic or aromatic compounds, as well as polar solvents like ethanols, isopropanol, methanol, and acetone. This means that brake cleaners could only be used on metal and plastic surfaces. If you want to use these formulations on plastic surfaces, don’t do it. They can harm things like appliances, surfaces, or materials that are made of plastic.
Hydraulic or aromatic hydrocarbons make up the rest of the brake cleaner. Methyl Acetate (5 percent to 30 percent) is one of the main ingredients (25 percent – 50 percent ). Molecular formula: CnH2n+x for aliphatic hydrocarbons, which could be between 5 and 8. N could be between 5 and 8, while x could be between 0 and 2. Some manufacturers add about 25% acetone to the mix, but that’s up to them.
Brake cleaners are bad for most plastics, so they are usually sold in metal spray cans to keep them from getting in your hands. if the chemical is on your skin long enough, it can also hurt your skin. Later in this guide, you will learn about some things to keep in mind when you use the app.
Major Uses of Brake Cleaner
Brake cleaners are mostly used to get rid of grease and wipe down metallic parts of a car, but not painted parts or other parts that are sensitive to chemicals. Degreasing is a process where metal parts are ready for things like painting, electroplating, or fixing a car. If you have a lot of fat, oil, resin and dust on or in the parts of your car, you can use brake cleaner to get rid of them.
Fight to get your brakes off the car so you can get rid of all the build-ups better, but you don’t get them off. A brake cleaner can be used to check and clean any parts of the car or truck that need to be done.
There are a lot of things that build up over time, miles, and corrosion, and using a brake cleaner alone won’t help. You’ll need to get rid of all of them. Fortunately, we have another guide that talks about this issue in more detail. It’s here.
Other Uses of Brake Cleaner
Other parts of the car could also be cleaned with brake cleaner. A valve cover can be cleaned before new oil is put in it or a bearing can be cleaned before it is put back together. An engine degreaser and brake cleaner are two different things. The difference is that brake cleaner doesn’t leave any residues and can be used without water to rinse parts. In the next section, we’ll talk about some other uses for brake cleaners.
Stain remover
Chlorinated brake cleaners are made with perchloroethylene, which is a chemical that is often used in laundry. There are times when there aren’t any stain removers that you can use at home. Brake cleaners can be used to clean food stains and oil stains. Before you wash stained clothes, you can put a little brake cleaner on the stained area. It’s important to test in a place that won’t be seen, as well as taking other precautions as outlined below. After you wash, the stain will most likely be gone.
Floor cleaner
Like clothes, floors can get dirty, especially if they’re in a place where people do their jobs. As an example, floor dry can be used to make the job easier, then brake cleaner can be used to clean the rest of the oil. The same steps can be used to get rid of stains on patios and concrete driveways, too.
In order to keep the brake cleaner from eating into the carpet, you need to be careful and watchful when you apply it. If there are better options available, don’t use brake cleaners on carpet surfaces. They can damage rubber or plastic materials, cleaning tools, or the surfaces they clean.
If there’s no other choice and you have to use brake cleaner, apply only to the stained part and wipe off the rest right away. People who don’t act quickly can damage their carpets. Always open the windows to get the right amount of air. You shouldn’t breathe in smells at all. Check the surface in a place that won’t be seen before applying to the carpet spot you want to clean.
Ink and Paint Remover
Modern brake cleaners contain acetone and other compounds that make it easy to get rid of ink and paint. You should always test the brake cleaner first and use it in a well-ventilated area before you use it on your brakes. Brake cleaner has very strong smells that are not good for people to use inside. See below for other safety tips.
Gun Cleaner
Like people who drive cars, people who own guns know how to use brake cleaner. Many people use brake cleaner to keep their guns looking new. A lot of gun cleaners cost more money than brake cleaners. It is important to note that brake cleaners can’t be used in place of gun greasers because their jobs are different. They work together to keep your gun clean and free of dirt and grease. Then, keep brake cleaner away from more sensitive gun parts like polymers, plastic, rubber, and so on.
Precautions To Take When Using Brake Cleaner
Before we look at the precautions, let’s look at the risks of not following the manufacturer’s instructions.
The chemicals in brake cleaners can be very bad for people’s bodies, and in some cases, they can also damage the ozone layer. People who sell, distribute, and use brake cleaners should take extra care because they could be dangerous both when they’re stored and when they’re used.
Because they are very flammable, they must be used or stored in places where explosives are not kept. Brake cleaners should not be used near the kitchen or other places where there are open flames.
The hands and other parts of your body that were exposed to brake cleaners need to be washed after you use them, so do that. And brake cleaner should never be ingested. People should keep things out of kids’ reach.
Chlorinated brake cleaners break down when exposed to UV light or high temperatures (beyond 260 Celsius or 500 degrees Fahrenheit). They turn into hydrogen chloride and phosgene when they break down. These two chemicals are bad for the respiratory system and other parts of the body.
Rubber and plastic break down when brake cleaners come into direct contact with them. This causes long-term damage. Brake cleaners harm the plastic materials by focusing on the parts that hold them together, which makes them break down. First, the plastic surfaces looked good. Then, they became brittle. After a few months, the fractures and cracks would be very obvious to see.
Having learned about the dangers of brake cleaners, let’s move on to the necessary precautions that have been compiled by a number of manufacturers.
Below Are the Necessary Precautions to Take When Using Brake Cleaners for any Purpose:
- Keep your eyes, skin, and nose out of the way. Wear a mask to protect your face while you apply brake cleaner. Safety glasses are important. if it gets into your eyes, rinse with water for a few minutes. Make sure you remove your contact lens if it was there when you came into contact with the brake cleaner. Keep rinsing until the irritating effect of the brake cleaner lessens a lot. However, if the pain doesn’t go away after rinsing with water, you should see a doctor.
- Use brake cleaners in an open and well-ventilated area so that you don’t breathe in toxic fumes. If you breathe in, move closer to fresh air. In cases where the person can’t breathe, give them oxygen and go to the doctor right away.
- Keep children away from you.
- A cool and well-ventilated place is a good place to keep the food safe and healthy. Use brake cleaner in a safe way. Keep fire and explosives away. Keep away from flames and direct sunlight.
- There are other things to keep in mind when using brake cleaners of any kind, so be sure to read the specific warnings from the manufacturer and always use your own judgment when using brake cleaner for things that haven’t been talked about here or from the manufacturer.
