Aqueous parts-washing detergents

Identity and scope

Detojet’s technical bulletin reports pH 12.4 as supplied, while its SDS gives 12.4 for a 1% aqueous solution. Those are different sample bases. Alconox powder’s bulletin gives pH 9.5 at 1%. Detojet SDS, section 9 Aqueous products can contain water-miscible solvents. Ohio EPA parts-cleaning training, pp. 12–13

Working baths contain process water and accumulated soils. Compare a property only on its stated product or test-solution basis. Surface-finishing processes

Two Alconox, LLC products illustrate distinct formulations, rather than a universal detergent specification. Alconox Powdered Precision Cleaner is an anionic powder marketed for manual and ultrasonic cleaning. Detojet Low-Foaming Liquid Detergent is an alkaline liquid marketed for parts washers and power-spray systems. Neither name identifies a generic chemical grade. Alconox product, Detojet product

Ingredient functions

These are formulation roles, not a recipe or an assertion that every product contains every ingredient class.

These definitions follow the manufacturer's general chemistry discussion, not a complete formula for either example. That discussion also describes oxidizing additives and foam-control agents. Alconox aqueous cleaning handbook, fifth edition, chapter 2, pp. 12–20

Supplied-product ingredient disclosures

Each table below contains all section 3 ingredient rows from the identified US/Canada SDS. Values are weight percent of the supplied mixture. Both sheets withhold exact concentrations as trade secrets. Ranges are disclosure bands, not independently selectable recipe amounts, total active content, or a complete mass balance.

Source is Alconox SDS, revision 2, 24 April 2026, section 3.

Source is Detojet SDS, revision 2, 17 August 2026, section 3.

The Detojet bulletin separately calls the product surfactant-free and describes only trace hypochlorite after production. Its SDS lists the range above. Neither document explains the discrepancy, so no delivered-product hypochlorite assay or disinfecting efficacy follows. Detojet bulletin, p. 2

Properties and measurement bases

The bulletins label the following as typical data rather than purchase specifications. A percentage attached to a test solution is a measurement condition, not a working-bath recommendation. Alconox bulletin, p. 2, Detojet bulletin, p. 2

Alconox's shelf-life footnote gives 48 months for dispenser packs 1112 and 1112-1. Both bulletins report zero VOC and claim biodegradability against EC648/2004. Those are supplier statements without supporting test reports in these sheets. Alconox bulletin, Detojet bulletin

Detojet's SDS instead labels pH 12.4 as a 1% aqueous-solution value. That conflicts with the bulletin's supplied-product basis. Neither basis is silently substituted for the other. Detojet SDS, section 9

Interpretive synthesis. The sheets do not define the mass or volume basis of their 1% property tests. Only conductivity has an explicit test temperature. Density lacks a stated temperature and gallon definition. Phosphorus percentage is not phosphate-salt percentage. Calculated organic carbon is neither total solids nor active detergent. These sources supply no verified solids assay, specific gravity, complete active-content value, or conversion from conductivity to bath concentration. A mass-density value and dimensionless specific gravity are different quantities.

Foam, compatibility, and residue limits

Alconox's bulletin excludes spray and machine use because of foaming. Its product page inconsistently lists several machine methods while also excluding spray machines. The exclusion remains material. Its soft-metal claim for copper, aluminum, zinc, and magnesium is conditional on prompt rinsing, with corrosion testing potentially necessary. This is not unconditional alloy compatibility. Alconox bulletin, p. 1, Alconox product page

Detojet's stated materials include glass, stainless steel, ceramic, cement, and alkali-resistant plastics and metals. Its supplier advises corrosion testing. The page claims protection of washer internals and no interfering residues but supplies no quantified corrosion or residue result. No coating-specific compatibility or general aluminum approval follows. Detojet product page

Synthesis from the inspected coverage. Low foam does not establish oil splitting. Neither example supplies an oil-separation test, emulsion-stability measurement, foam-height method, or cleanliness acceptance limit. An emulsifying formulation keeps oil dispersed; an oil-splitting claim concerns separation. Ingredient identity alone cannot establish which behavior dominates for a particular contaminant. The distinction follows EPA's emulsification and phase-separation discussion, pp. 11–12. Free-rinsing and corrosion-inhibited claims do not establish zero residue, downstream adhesion, or protection of every alloy and coating.

Safety and environmental claim boundaries

Alconox's current SDS classifies oral acute toxicity category 4, skin irritation category 2, and eye irritation category 2A. Its bulletin's broad hazardous-ingredient and nonhazardous statements do not describe those classifications adequately. Alconox SDS, section 2

Detojet's current SDS classifies skin corrosion and serious eye damage as category 1. Its bulletin lists milder irritation categories. The SDS also reports flash point above 200°C without a method, whereas the bulletin reports no flash point and calls the product nonflammable. These are distinct statements, not proof that water-based products have no fire hazard. Detojet SDS, sections 2 and 9, Detojet bulletin

Both SDS ecological sections describe aquatic hazards and give no persistence or degradability data. Alconox SDS, section 12, Detojet SDS, section 12

Historical EPA guidance notes that aqueous formulations can contain hazardous organic ingredients and that spent cleaner can contain removed contaminants. It is process background, not current product classification or disposal authorization. EPA/625/R-93/016, February 1994, aqueous-cleaner limitations

Synthesis. Water-based identity proves neither nonhazardous status nor zero VOC, solvent-free composition, biodegradability, or environmental acceptability. Supplier free-of claims have their stated scope; they are not lot analyses. Food-contact marketing and cleaning-validation claims do not establish acceptance for a particular customer's part, residue limit, or downstream process.

Source versions and coverage

Reviewed 29 October 2026 PDT. The manufacturer's document index linked the two bulletins and US/Canada English SDS editions above. The Alconox SDS is UL-NOX-003; Detojet is UL-NOX-014. European and other regional editions were not substituted. Copyright years, document identifiers, revision dates, and upload-path dates identify different things.

Coverage includes both complete two-page bulletins and the current SDS ingredient, property, hazard, and limitation sections, with table footnotes. The handbook coverage is chapter 2's ingredient discussion. Public product pages are retrieval snapshots. Full proprietary formulations, independent performance tests, lot certificates, coating-specific compatibility, measured oil splitting, and customer approval remain unverified. This reference provides no operating recipe or machine settings.