TECH SHEET 44 - MULTI CLEAN To: Restoration Professionals Subject: Multi Clean We now provide a high-performance, multifunctional, maximum concentration cleaner for prep and degreasing before general repair work. It is an excellent prep before dyeing vinyl, plastic, leather, and fabric. And you can avoid the $10 UPS hazardous goods surcharge. Multi Clean is available in quarts. Each quart makes about 10 gallons of high performance cleaner, all non-flammable. DILUTION RATIOS FOR GENERAL USE To one gallon of water add no more than three ounces for heavy degreasing. STOP RIGHT THERE! Read that first sentence again. Only three ounces of Multi Clean to one gallon of water. Multi Clean is a different class of general purpose cleaner concentrates found in automotive detail shops and those found in janitorial supply houses. When we say maximum concentrate that is exactly what Multi Clean is. In fact, if it is not diluted with enough water it will lose its effectiveness. Overloading contaminates rinse water and reduces friction between your wash cloth or brush and the substrate. With friction you combine mechanical cleaning with solvent cleaning. Water is a marvelous solvent. It dissolves more substances than any other solvent by a wide margin, with one exception. Water alone cannot dissolve oil and grease. Add Multi Clean and you have the ultimate oil and grease remover. MULTICLEAN vs. SOLVENT BLEND DEGREASER The economics of this product are readily apparent. One quart of Multi Clean makes over 10 gallons of degreaser. That is equivalent to more than $250 of delivered Solvent Blend Degreaser. To achieve ultimate economy with this product (especially if you have employees) get a five gallon plastic Jerry can with a pour spout for your garage or shop. To five gallons of fresh clean water add slightly less than a pint (half bottle) of Multi Clean and mix well. You now have a non-flammable shop stock of degreaser. Equip everyone with 2 sprayer bottles. One for diluted cleaner and one for rinse water. You'll rarely need a bucket. In fact, if we could all lose that bucket-down-the-storm drain mentality we'd save a lot of money and reduce the load on the environment as well. CLEANING TECHNIQUE Thoroughly wet the surface with diluted Multi Clean. Embossed surfaces can benefit from use of a hand scrub brush. For smooth surfaces scrub with a wet clean cloth folded twice into a pad. Follow immediately while wet with a clean, soft, dry cloth. Wiping minimizes contamination of your rinse water. Finish with a separate clean rinse cloth using fresh clean water or use a plant sprayer containing clean water. Wipe dry. If you are in an area with hard water keep a gallon of grocery store demineralized or distilled water for rinsing. NO OTHER SOLVENT OR SURFACE PREP PRODUCT IS NEEDED unless the actual coating must be stripped (See Tech Sheet 40: Flex Solv). Carpets and tires can benefit from one half cup Multi Clean per gallon of water. The excess foam will help lift soil from carpet pile. Rinse well. For windshields and windows use only one ounce per gallon of water. Wipe the foam with a squeegee without rinsing. This leaves enough wetting agent to cause rain or fog to form a sheet rather than droplets. LAUNDERING WASH CLOTHS AND SHOP TOWELS Use 1/2 to 1 cup Multi Clean per normal washer load with double rinse. FURTHER COMMENTS An understanding of the economics of so-called industrial strength cleaners is important to the proper use of this product. Under normal circumstances a manufacturer of this product would dilute Multi Clean with three or four parts water before shipping it out the door. This insures a healthy margin of profit and prevents overkill by the user. We supply a professional market niche, and ship world-wide. We decided to put a realistic price on the product and let the users decide whether paying the freight for the water contained in competitive cleaners is worthwhile. So it is your call. Here is a product that can save you money and fire marshall hassles if you can adhere to the restoration profession’s maxim that less is better. REFERENCES: Tech Sheet 16: Scotch Tape Test Tech Sheet 40: Flex Solv