Factors to Consider:

1. Material Composition of Instruments: The type of material your dental instruments are made from dictates the appropriate ultrasonic cleaning solution. Specific solutions are formulated for stainless steel, while others may be better suited for plastic or other materials.
2. Type of Debris: Various cleaning solutions are designed to target different kinds of debris. Some are formulated to eliminate protein-based residues, while others are effective against mineral deposits or other contaminants.
3. Safety and Biocompatibility: It’s vital to select a cleaning solution that is safe for both patients and staff and biocompatible with the dental instruments being cleaned.
4. Efficiency: The chosen cleaning solution should efficiently remove debris and disinfect the instruments. Evaluating product specifications and customer reviews can provide insights into the solution’s effectiveness.
5. Environmental Impact: Opt for environmentally friendly, biodegradable and non-toxic cleaning solutions.
6. Cost: While cost should not be the sole factor, finding a solution that balances cost-effectiveness with quality and efficiency is essential.
7. Manufacturer’s Recommendations: Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when selecting a cleaning solution for your dental instruments to ensure compatibility and effectiveness.

Selecting the correct ultrasonic cleaning solution ensures that your dental instruments are thoroughly cleaned and extend their lifespan, improving the efficiency of your practice and enhancing patient satisfaction.

Critical Considerations for Selecting an Ultrasonic Dental Instrument Cleaner

When choosing an ultrasonic cleaner for dental instruments, consider the following factors:

1. Size and Capacity: Choose a cleaner based on the number of instruments you need to clean at once. Compact units are ideal for small clinics, while larger models are better suited for bigger practices or hospitals.
2. Cleaning Efficiency: The efficiency of cleaners varies depending on the ultrasonic technology used. Consider both the cleaning rate and the thoroughness of the cleaning process.
3. Ease of Use: Select a user-friendly cleaner. Features like digital displays, automatic timers, and intuitive controls can enhance usability.
4. Durability: The longevity of the cleaner is crucial. Assess the quality of materials and the manufacturer’s reputation for producing durable equipment.
5. Maintenance and Cleaning: Some cleaners are easier to maintain than others. Evaluate how simple it is to drain, refill, and clean the tank.
6. Cost: Look for a cleaner that offers good value for money. This means balancing cost and quality, not necessarily opting for the cheapest option.
7. Safety Features: Safety is paramount when using medical equipment. Features like automatic shut-off, temperature control, and secure lids are essential considerations.
8. Warranty and After-Sales Service: Consider the warranty period and the quality of after-sales service provided by the manufacturer. This ensures support in case of any issues with the cleaner.

Choosing the right ultrasonic cleaner depends on your specific needs and circumstances. By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision that enhances the efficiency and safety of your dental practice.

Short- and long-term health effects of solvents

Industrial solvents have also been known to cause short-term effects such as dermatitis and other skin issues, such as drying, cracking, reddening, or blistering when handled, especially without proper skin protection. Fumes from solvents can also cause headaches, drowsiness, poor coordination, nausea, unconsciousness and even death, in the most extreme cases.

Solvents have also been linked to long-term impacts on human health, affecting the brain and nervous system, including memory loss, sleeping disorders, and irritability. Different solvents can have long-term negative effects on the skin, liver, blood production, and kidneys. They can also have adverse effects on fertility of both males and females exposed to them as well as unborn children.

Clearly, even when workers use proper protection, there is the strong possibility of solvents strongly affecting their health in a myriad of negative ways. Fortunately, alternatives are coming to the forefront, positively impacting worker safety and a cleaner environment across industries.

Solvents and precision cleaning

Generally, solvents work by increasing or decreasing the surface pH of a liquid while cleaning a part. This chemical effect makes it easier for tough grime to be scrubbed or lifted away from the part being cleaned. Although this is a great solution for cleaning, the solvent itself can be detrimental for the part being cleaning, damaging it. For example, if you were to try to clean a piece of wood covered by wax, the solvent might clean the surface of dirt and grime embedded in the wax surface coat. However, it would also remove the wax coating, ruining the wood underneath when it’s exposed to liquid. As an additional example, many types of metals are coated with protective surfaces that prevent oxidation. Solvents inadvertently remove these protective coatings, allowing for moisture and water to cause rust.

Solvents banned or controlled by international treaty

In 1987, leaders from many countries around the world signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone layer. This established legal regulations controlling the national production and consumption of ODS (ozone depleting substances). Because many solvents were included in this treaty, the need for alternative cleaning substances and methods arose.

For example, chemical restrictions/bans included common solvents such as carbon tetrachloride and 1,1,1-trichloroethane. The banning or scaling back of these substances created a need for alternative, “green” options when cleaning parts.

Omegasonics offers “green” solvent-free cleaning

Here at Omegasonics, we not only build ultrasonic cleaning units, but we also offer an array of solvent-free detergents to use in conjunction with industrial and precision cleaning.

All Omegasonics detergents are solvent-free and comply with the Montreal protocol and EPA. When you buy Omegasonics products, you can rest assured knowing that none of your cleaning applications are harming the environment or causing harm to your workers.

Choosing the best ultrasonic cleaning detergent for you

At Omegasonics, we craft each of our detergents for a specific application. However, when it comes to choosing the right one, it can be overwhelming. The recommended method is to first determine the industry you work in or the type of grime and/or materials you’re dealing with – take a look at our handy chart. In most cases, you can’t go wrong with general-purpose detergents such as OmegaSupreme and OmegaClean, both from Omegasonics.

Just remember that certain types of detergents matched with the incorrect type of material can potentially cause damage to the part being cleaned (such as in the case of using a high-caustic detergent with aluminum). Be sure to read the manufacturer’s directions on each bottle of detergent, and if in doubt, call your Omegasonics representative for specific advice and help.

In cases where you cannot find the correct detergent to use for your industry or application, simply contact one of our ultrasonic cleaning consultants today at Omegasonics or give our experts a call at (888) 420-4445. We’ll find the perfect match for you!

Why Use Ultrasonic Cleaning Detergents?

Chemically speaking, a detergent is a surfactant, a chemical compound that lowers the surface tension of a liquid when dissolved within it. This decreases the hold that grime and dirt have on objects, as well as increasing the power of ultrasonic waves. Surfactants also make ultrasonic cavitation more effective, increasing ultrasonic cleaning power even more.

When ultrasonic waves move through liquid and strike against a hard object, they form small vacuum bubbles that expand and violently collapse, over and over again. These vacuum bubbles are known as cavitation bubbles. As cavitation bubbles collapse, they emit tiny streams of plasma at speeds of more than 500 mph. These plasma streams remove and agitate grime from the object being cleaned without damaging it, if set correctly.

Types of Ultrasonic Cleaning Detergents

Depending upon the industry and the types of materials you’re cleaning, there is an ultrasonic cleaning detergent that suits your needs. Detergents range chemically from acidic to basic solutions, to ones formulated precisely to remove calcium buildup or even oil.

Knowing not only the physical properties but also chemical properties of both the material and contaminant you’re cleaning prevents unnecessary removal of important components of the material you’re cleaning, such as waxes, lacquers, coats, and anti-oxidation layers.

If you want to read in more detail about which detergents will work best with your particular needs, check out our comprehensive list on the Omegasonics website.

Alkaline Solutions

Omegasonics’ alkaline detergent solutions generally have a pH of 10 or greater and sometimes contain caustic soda as an ingredient, depending on the needed strength of the solution. While most moderately pH solutions (pH of 11.0 – 12.5) work well for cleaning metals, they also work great for ceramics, glass, and most plastic materials.

High Caustic Solutions

High caustic cleaners contain hydroxides and silicates. While great at removing heavy oils, grease, and waxes, a low-caustic detergent should be used when cleaning parts made of magnesium. Moderate alkaline detergents should always be a first-line defense when cleaning steel, cast iron, and stainless steel. Avoid aluminum when using high caustic solutions.

Acidic Solutions

Lower pH solutions, being the more aggressive versions at pH of 5.0 or less, should be used very specifically. Typically, acidic detergents are used to remove oxides from most metals, as long as the solution contains an inhibitor to protect the metal from damage.

Enzymatic Solutions

Many parts from the food and medical industries contain organic contaminants that are best suited for enzymatic solutions. Most often, these parts being cleaned are titanium, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, but also most plastics found in these industries.

Deionized Water

Some parts being cleaned, such as frictionless bearings, printed circuit boards, and small servo motors, require deionized water. Even fabrics, glass, metals, plastics, epoxies, and hard rubbers are all acceptable in deionized water. The important thing to remember is that many of these parts will quickly oxidize without a wetting bath and quick dry afterward. If the part being cleaned can be safely placed in water, it means deionized water will work as a cleaning medium.

Choosing the Best Ultrasonic Cleaning Detergent

With so many types of detergents and soaps on the market, it can be a daunting task finding the correct one. The fastest way is to first determine the industry you work in, then take a look at our handy chart. Generally, all-purpose detergents such as OmegaSupreme and OmegaClean are safe to use with most materials and supply excellent ultrasonic cleaning in most situations. However, it is important to remember that certain types of detergents matched with the incorrect type of material can potentially cause damage to the part being cleaning (such as in the case of using a high-caustic detergent with aluminum). Be sure to read the manufacturer’s directions on each bottle of detergent!

In the case that you cannot find the correct detergent to use for your industry or application, simply contact one of our ultrasonic cleaning consultants today at Omegasonics or give our experts a call at (888) 420-4445. We’ll find the perfect match for you!

In this blog post, we’ll talk about the different types of materials that can be cleaned using these same solutions in our ultrasonic cleaners, and why choosing one over another may better suit our needs.

Just as with contaminants, there may be more than one type of ultrasonic cleaning solution that may work with a particular material; final selection then will be based on the type of contaminant to be removed, as well as the relative speed or aggression with which we’d like the article cleaned. Even the finish of the part may affect our decision.

Generalized list of Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutions

Not all contaminants are removed by all detergents, even in an ultrasonic cleaner. The type of part also factors in to which solution can be used. Otherwise, we would just use the most powerful cleaner we can get our hands on. For example, 70% sulfuric acid removes scale easily, but can also eat into carbon steel. A compromise must be made between removing the contaminant and protecting the part. Having a general knowledge of available solutions can get you into the right ballpark.

Alkaline Solutions – Alkaline solutions have a pH of 10 or higher, with the higher pH solutions being more aggressive. They may or may not contain caustic soda, depending on the strength of the cleaner. Moderately alkaline solutions (pH 11.0 to 12.5) are great for almost all metals, including cast iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, zinc, copper, brass, and tin. They also work well when cleaning glass, ceramics, and most plastic materials.

High Caustic Solutions – High caustic solutions are a special case of alkaline solutions. They can be used if needed; however, we should always try more moderate alkaline ultrasonic cleaning solutions first. High caustic cleaners contain hydroxides and usually silicates as well, and are good for removing heavy grease, oils, and waxes from cast iron, steel, and stainless steel. When placing magnesium in our ultrasonic cleaners, a  low caustic solution must be used if we are to avoid damaging the part.

Acidic Solutions – Acid-based solutions have a pH of around 5.0 or lower, with lower pH cleaners being the more aggressive versions. The use of acid solutions is usually material-specific, since some acids will destroy the base material while others will not. They are great for removing oxides from most metals, as long as the solution has inhibitors to protect the base metal.

Enzymatic Solutions – Enzymatic ultrasonic cleaning solutions are designed to remove protein-based contaminants from parts typically found in the medical and food industries. As such, they are typically used on stainless steel, titanium, brass, and aluminum, but can also be used on glass and most plastics found in laboratories.

De-ionized Water – DI water is safe to use on any material that can safely be placed in water, which means it will work on nearly every material. Metals, fabrics, glass, plastics, epoxies, and hard rubber materials are all acceptable. The type of part should be considered when DI water is used as an ultrasonic cleaning solution, since many parts will oxide quickly when removed from the solution unless they are subsequently placed in a wetting solution and immediately dried. Frictionless bearings, small servo motors, switches, and printed circuit boards are some examples of the parts requiring special post-cleaning treatment.

Omegasonics’ Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutions and Their Applications

Prior to ultrasonic cleaners, many of the parts we needed to clean required harsh solvents that had safety and health risks associated with them, were harmful to the environment, and had to be treated as hazardous wastes when it came time to dispose of them. The ultrasonic cleaning solutions list presented below contains no such solvent-based cleaners. The detergents and cleaning agents used in ultrasonic cleaners are safe for our employees and safe for the environment.

Complete List of Cleaning Detergents and Solutions

OmegaClean – Our most versatile ultrasonic cleaning soap. This cleaning agent removes light grease and contaminants from a variety of metals. Contains buffers to protect aluminum finishes and silicates to guard against flash rusting.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaMaxx – Our most powerful ultrasonic cleaner degreaser. It is excellent for cleaning and brightening ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Not recommended for copper, brass or aluminum.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaSoft – A superior and powerful multi-component organic water softener.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaWash – An extremely powerful powdered ultrasonic cleaner soap concentrate for ultrasonic cleaning non-oily residue dirt from metal, plastic and fabric surfaces including mini-blinds and all hard windows.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaResin – A solution designed to remove polyvinyl chloride, plastic, urethane, polyethylene and epoxy extrusion residue from molds, dies and other surfaces.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaFinish – A wax removal solution formulated with high pH to remove heavy wax residue from surfaces as well as heavy carbon from stainless steel. Not recommended for aluminum.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaSupreme – A detergent perfect for removing oils, light grease, dirt, grime, carbon and other contaminants from a wide variety of materials, including stainless steel, titanium, carbon steel, and plastics. This product has better cleaning solvency than OmegaClean.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaSmoke – A cleaner designed to remove smoke and soot from contents damaged in a fire. Safe to use on glass, rubber, plastic, materials and all surfaces that can be cleaned in water.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

CitriSurf® 2050 – An ultrasonic cleaner passivator, specifically formulated to passivate a limited variety (as compared to CitriSurf 2250) of stainless steel grade surfaces without the use of nitric acid.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

CitriSurf® 2210 – An environmentally-friendly citrus based gel designed to passivate large stainless steel surfaces that cannot be submerged into a heated bath. Product is applied with rollers, brushes or spray.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

CitriSurf® 2250 – An ultrasonic cleaning passivator specifically formulated to passivate (remove free iron molecules) all grades of stainless steel and titanium surfaces without the use of nitric acid. Also removes calcium carbonate from brass, steel and nickel.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Omega Horn Clean 727 – A phosphoric-based cleaning solution ideal for cleaning a variety of brass musical instruments.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Omega Copper Protectant – Designed to protect copper, brass and copper alloys from tarnishing aluminum finishes when used with high pH detergents.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Omega Rust Protectant – A microfilm rust inhibitor formulated to protect aluminum, brass, copper and carbon steel from developing brown and surface rust.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaBlue – Ink remover product that has been specifically designed to removes ink and ink residue from metal and rubber components, including Anilox rollers. Also used in gun cleaning application – will not remove barrel bluing.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

CleanMor 706 – A revolutionary cleaning agent far superior to sodium-hydroxide based detergents typically used in the 3D and additive manufacturing industry. No airborne powder dust! Specifically designed to remove Stratasys 706 and 3ntr SSU01 soluble support structure.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Omega Aqua Clean LPH – An ultrasonic cleaner solution for electronics is a reduced pH solution designed to clean electronic and electrical components in an ultrasonic tank. Also effective at removing solder flux residue.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Omega Citrus Degreaser – A broad-use citrus-based ultrasonic degreaser used for commercial grade applications, including removal of oily residues and dirt from general content surfaces including mini-blinds and general household items.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Omega Deodorizer – A highly dilutable odor counteractant that eliminates odors resulting from fire, smoke, and water damage.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Omega DeScaler – A descaler formulated to remove rust, corrosion, heat scale and mineral deposits from a variety of metals. Effectively used to remove mineral deposits from heat exchangers. 
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaZyme – An ultrasonic degreasing soap that effectively cleans light oils and cutting fluids. Best used on Aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, steel, and brass. Solvent free, non-bacterial, and 100% organic.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaChem – A paint remover to remove petroleum-based paint and paint residue from a variety of surfaces including spray gun nozzles.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

Omega Mold Release Agent – A high pH concentrated mold release agent that is successfully used to remove burnt-on crystalline rubber, plastic and food from molds, dies and other metal surfaces.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OmegaRinse – An effective drying agent used after the ultrasonic cleaning process. It contains an ionic rinsing concentrate that promotes the sheeting of moisture from metal surfaces, specifically metal mini blinds.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

We need to remember that many also contain additives, such as sheeting agents, emulsifiers, and inhibitors, which perform special functions in the solution. The labels, product descriptions, and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) above are accurate on these products, but it’s always best to test a small part first, or to contact us to make sure you’re not making a decision that could adversely affect the part or the quality of the final cleaning.

It’s always best to err on the side of caution, particularly with delicate or one-of-a-kind parts that may be difficult or impossible to replace. Regardless of the part or material, there’s almost always an appropriate ultrasonic cleaning solution that will safely remove contaminants from it.

Examples of Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutions in Action

• How To Strip Paint From Machined Parts
• Ultrasonic Precision Cleaning for Aerospace Safety
• Cleaning Aerospace Parts with Ultrasonic Cleaners
• Snowmobile Engine Cleaning with Ultrasonics
• Gun Cleaning with Ultrasonic Cleaners
• 3D Spinal Implants and Ultrasonic Cleaning
• Clean Your Firearms 3 Times Faster with Ultrasonic Gun Cleaning
• Using Ultrasonics for Cleaning Truck Fuel Injectors
• Ultrasonic Cleaning for Dentures
• Using Ultrasonic Cleaning Technology for Food Plants
• Ultrasonic Cleaning for Bike Parts
• Clean Your Musical Instruments with Ultrasonic Cleaning
• Ultrasonic Cleaning for Pharmaceutical Equipment
• Cleaning and Sterilizing Medical PPE with an Ultrasonic Cleaner
• … and many more found on our blog!

Contact our Team of Ultrasonic Cleaning Experts

Trying to find the best ultrasonic cleaning solution for your application or have other questions regarding ultrasonic cleaning? Contact our experts at Omegasonics by calling 888-989-5560, emailing us at Omegasonics@Omegasonics.com, or by filling out our online contact form.