Best Way to Clean Stainless Steel in Your Plant

Stainless steel is incredibly durable, but dirt and other contaminants can cause it to break down and deteriorate. However, implementing the proper cleaning methods can help to ensure durability and longevity for the stainless-steel parts and equipment in your plant.

Below are some of the best ways to clean stainless steel in your plant.

Power Washers

Power washers are used as a general cleaning tool in many manufacturing plants. They use high-pressure water jets to clean large, flat stainless steel surfaces. The water pressure produced allows these washers to effectively remove tough contaminants like dirt and rust with ease.

While the high pressure can make it easier to clean stainless steel, they only cover large areas, so they won’t be able to clean small crevices. On top of that, the water pressure they produce can potentially damage systems and small items. With that said, it’s best not to use this tool to clean internal parts.

Immersion Cleaners

If you need a more precise clean, immersion cleaners can help. Immersion cleaners use different substances to remove various contaminants from irregularly shaped stainless steel parts. For example, solvent cleaners like acetone will help to break down oil and grease. All you have to do is soak the part into the cleaning materials.

However, immersion cleaners can produce harmful vapors. That’s why it’s important to make sure that your immersion cleaning system comes with an enclosure. This will control the production of vapors and hazardous materials and prevent health issues caused by inhalation.

Industrial Cleaning Systems

Plants that need to clean many parts frequently can consider industrial cleaning systems. These can wash several stainless-steel parts at one time to improve manufacturing process times and efficiency. Plus it can help to minimize labor costs.

Industrial cleaning systems can wash metal shavings, polishing compounds, casting sand, machine oil, and all sorts of foreign materials from stainless steel. However, not all industrial cleaning systems are the same. Some systems are designed specifically to clean certain parts. So consider the intricacy of your stainless-steel parts to ensure that you choose the right cleaning system for your plant.

Manual Cleaning

While these tools and systems can help you clean stainless steel parts, manual cleanings are still considered to be the best option for cleaning.

Cleaning stainless steel by hand can help you get into small crevices machines and tools can’t reach. However, you may need to use toxic and abrasive chemicals depending on the material that needs to be removed. With that said, it’s important to implement safety precautions ensure that all workers and systems are protected.

On top of that, manual cleanings can be expensive in terms of labor costs. So consider your budget to determine if this is the best option for your company.

Cleaning stainless steel can be a tedious task for any manufacturing company. But if you want to ensure that you produce a high-quality product and more efficient systems, it’s a task that needs to be done, and these methods can help.

To learn more, check out CPV Manufacturing’s blog.