Unbelievably excellent Cleaner! (Long Read)

I get it from a local company called Springfield Janitorial in Springfield, Mo where I live. I think you normally have to buy at least 4 gallons of this product and it's quite expensive.

They sell it to me in gallon size for around $28. It's a Spartan product. Perhaps you could contact the company?

I'm also testing a new, similar product called citrus scrub, by Hillyard. It works equally well on interiors, but it has a slightly lower d limonene content. It doesn't seem to cut tar quite as easy, but it still definitely removes it.

If you've got a little extra money and want to test some products, I definitely would suggest Orange Tough 40 and Citrus Scurb.

I think the most important thing about these products are that they contain d limonene and can be diluted (unlike many d limonene products)
 
^^Yeah, the only way I would buy Orange tough is from a 5 gallon bucket, and shipping costs just about the same as the bucket does and that to me is just not worth it at all...

I was doing research and found that ebay sells pure D-limonene for around 40 bucks a gallon with free shipping. Orange tough has 40% D-limonene in it, which, you can save real big with buying pure but you need to mix it with some kind of emulsifier so it can be dilluted with water. I'm not an expert chemist or anything but I would think if you bought your own chemicals and messed around with the ratios a little, you could make your own D-limonene cleaner and save huge
 
I've always thought it would be cool to mix my own chemicals, but in the end I'm not a chemist.

I also have a 90%+ dlimonene product that works as good as most other solvents at removing stickers, gum, tar. It doesn't mix with water and is over $40 per gallon, but I use it very sparingly just on the worst stuff.

If you come across cupholders that are full to the top of melted gum, pennies, candy etc. orange tough 40 can normally handle it. If not, the higher percentage product definitely can. . . especially coupled with steam.

You have to use extreme caution with this stuff, just like any other solvent, because you can potentially damage surfaces. . .


I ran across something the other day that dlimonene couldn't do. Half a bottle of clear nail polish was spilled and hardened in a ford escape cupholder.

I used nail polish remover and still had an extremely difficult time but eventually got it out with minimal damage to the plastic cupholder. I used the try liner inside the console to cut out and create a new insert for the bottom of the cup holder. The customer was very happy, as before, the cupholder was a quarter full of nail polish and the bottle was stuck in the hardened puddle.
 
^^Wow, that deserves an award. For the most neglected cupholder!

Anyways, I've decided to try my luck and buy pure to see how it goes. I will definitely keep you updated. By the way what kind of surfaces can this stuff damage?
 
I think high concentrations of dlimonene, especially allowed to dwell too long, can dull plastic. But, that's pretty much true of any apc. If you used apc +, undiluted on black plastic, I can almost guarantee that it will dull it.

Ever wonder why apc+ tends to get favored over the other meg's apc's? It has a slight amount of dlimonene in it. I think that's what gives it the edge, especially for interior cleaning, compared to super degreaser and their regular apc.

I feel perfectly safe using products like orange tough 40 and other products that are 40% or less dlimonene, especially diluted, on most car interior surfaces. IMO, they are safer than traditional apc's because they are nearly ph neutral. I know from testing on scrap pieces of plastic that high percentage dlimonene will eventually start to dull plastic if allowed to dwell long enough. doesn't mean it's not safe, just means one has to use caution.

Keep me updated on the pure dlimonene. I'm really loving orange tough 40, mostly because it's cheap, because I can buy it locally and because it's already mixed with emulsifiers, surfactants, etc.

Hey, something else I've been reading about. . .I've been reading how some dlimonene products claim to be 100% but they might not be that great because the dlimonene isn't 100% active.

It may just be a marketing scheme, but orange tough 40 claims to be 40% dlimonene and something around 60-70% active. May not mean anything, but then again, it may be something to be aware of.
 
Deep Gloss Auto Salon said:
pictures....
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I wish! It was like a joke. I was cleaning all debris out of the car and reached for the nail polish bottle and it was like it was bolted in. I couldn't pry it out with a screwdriver. I poured nail polish remover in and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before everything started to loosen up.
 
BradsDetailing said:
There's also a 90 version
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Yep, and I may try it when I run out of my current high percentage dlimonene product.

It's not dilutable with water if I remember right, but I'm sure it's awesome at removing extremely heavy tar or asphalt, gum etc.
 
Well I just put in an order for Food Grade D-Limonene which is supposidly the highest purity you can get. Pictures are showing combustable fluid precautions so I'm guessing something here has some cleaning power!

I'm going to try it at 10% at first and see what happens. I did a little research and found out that common household items can be used as emulsifiers. Have you tried using it on carpets or window tint?

I'll keep you guys posted on how it works out:xyxthumbs:
 
I've seen many of Spartan's Products carried by my local Janitorial Supply Store here in town. Lots of great products they make.

You might want to take a peek in your local phone book for such a business, which might permit you to buy such products in smaller quantities. Plus Janitorial Stores are aften a great local source for tools, Nitrile Gloves, etc.

I see Spartan also makes a Tough Orange 15, with 15% Limonene, versus 40% in the product we're discussing.
 
Yeah, it'c combustable at pretty low temps. . .at least the pure stuff is. Definitely don't spray it directly on a hot engine, brakes etc.

Yes, it works very well on carpets. It works very well on upholstery, carpets and leather. It leaves leather looking less dry and doesn't leave any white residue like what can happen with caustic apc's. I've also found that it cleans grimy seat belts much better than a traditional alkaline apc.

I have to tell you though, I haven't tested my highly concentrated dlimonene product on very many surfaces yet. I've got gum and grime out of small areas with it. I probably wouldn't go spraying it on large areas.

Be careful with that food grade stuff. I'm sure it will be awesome, just use caution and test on junkers, or personal vehicles, scrap carpet, plastic etc.

I can't wait to hear the results.

What are these common household emulsifiers?

Also, it might be a good experiment to see how dlimonene reacts with window tint. I don't think lower concentrations and diluted products are too much of a concern, because I oversprayed tinted windows and clear plastic with no problems. The stronger stuff, I'm not sure about.
 
CustomLookz said:
Well I just put in an order for Food Grade D-Limonene which is supposidly the highest purity you can get. Pictures are showing combustable fluid precautions so I'm guessing something here has some cleaning power!

I'm going to try it at 10% at first and see what happens. I did a little research and found out that common household items can be used as emulsifiers. Have you tried using it on carpets or window tint?

I'll keep you guys posted on how it works out:xyxthumbs:
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Just FYI, there is a member on here, Mr Megane(?), who I think is a legit chemist. If you're not 100% confident what to use as a cutting agent it may be worth asking for an opinion...
 
Slightly off topic, but I am terrible at math and dilution ratios. Is there a link or something that tells you what, say, 10:1 is in terms of cleaner to water dilution. I'd understand it better if someone told me 8 oz of cleaner to 24 oz of water.
 
MarkD51 said:
I've seen many of Spartan's Products carried by my local Janitorial Supply Store here in town. Lots of great products they make.

You might want to take a peek in your local phone book for such a business, which might permit you to buy such products in smaller quantities. Plus Janitorial Stores are aften a great local source for tools, Nitrile Gloves, etc.

I see Spartan also makes a Tough Orange 15, with 15% Limonene, versus 40% in the product we're discussing.
Click to expand...


You are definitely right. Don't get me wrong, I love AG and I buy lot's of stuff from here. But, when I can find a few products like this and gloves, etc nearby, I try to buy locally.

Spartan is definitely all over the place. Just have to check your local suppliers.

I forgot they had the 15 product. I wish I would have remembered that a while back, when I bought another product called citrus scrub which is around 15-20%.
I was thinking it might be a little better for delicate expensive interiors. But, so far I haven't had any trouble with the 40 version.
 
MyFirstES300 said:
Slightly off topic, but I am terrible at math and dilution ratios. Is there a link or something that tells you what, say, 10:1 is in terms of cleaner to water dilution. I'd understand it better if someone told me 8 oz of cleaner to 24 oz of water.
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Before I try to explain, most bottles are clearly marked. Buy good bottles they are marked 2:1, 4:1, 6:1, 10:1 etc. Makes life easy.

A gallon is 128 oz, so if you put one ounce of product into one gallon of water, you would have 128:1. If you put 8 ounces of product into 128oz of water, you would have 16:1. 128/8=16

Dilution Ratio (corrosponds to list below)
1 to 4
1 to 5
1 to 10
1 to 12
1 to 15
1 to 20
1 to 32
1 to 40
1 to 50
1 to 60
1 to 64
1 to 100
1 to 128
1 to 256

Oz. Per Gal
32
26
12
10
8
6
4
3
2 1/2
2
2
1
1
1/2
 
statusdetailing said:
Yeah, it'c combustable at pretty low temps. . .at least the pure stuff is. Definitely don't spray it directly on a hot engine, brakes etc.

Yes, it works very well on carpets. It works very well on upholstery, carpets and leather. It leaves leather looking less dry and doesn't leave any white residue like what can happen with caustic apc's. I've also found that it cleans grimy seat belts much better than a traditional alkaline apc.

I have to tell you though, I haven't tested my highly concentrated dlimonene product on very many surfaces yet. I've got gum and grime out of small areas with it. I probably wouldn't go spraying it on large areas.

Be careful with that food grade stuff. I'm sure it will be awesome, just use caution and test on junkers, or personal vehicles, scrap carpet, plastic etc.

I can't wait to hear the results.

What are these common household emulsifiers?

Also, it might be a good experiment to see how dlimonene reacts with window tint. I don't think lower concentrations and diluted products are too much of a concern, because I oversprayed tinted windows and clear plastic with no problems. The stronger stuff, I'm not sure about.
Click to expand...

I plan on dilluting it to 10%. You were telling us that you tried Orange tough at 1:1, well that would be 20%. So this would be like trying orange tough at 1:2, I think you even told us that that was strong too.

A good common household emulsifier is Dishwashing Soap, and from what I've gathered, it doesn't take a lot of it. A website I was on was telling me 1 tablespoon to a gallon or something like that. Well Dishwashing liquid is also a wax stripper and a degreaser, I couldn't see a better emulsifier to use! I just wonder if it downgrades the strength of the D-limonene.

Even the place I bought it from told me you could just put pure D-limonene in water, shake it up and it will temporarily mix with water. I figure if I start off with a fairly small amount of Dishwashing liquid and work my way up then it'll be alright. I also don't want to deal with any soap residue when I'm cleaning interiors...

neat e34 said:
Just FYI, there is a member on here, Mr Megane(?), who I think is a legit chemist. If you're not 100% confident what to use as a cutting agent it may be worth asking for an opinion...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I'm on it!
 
Just test in very inconspicuous areas. At 1:1 orange tough is very strong. Probably best to just use it for spot removing tar. I used it today at 3:1 to degrease a very dirty engine and door jams. It worked very well and didnt cause any damage. Im playing around with the dilutions ratios. As i use it more i'll get a feel for what is best for different situations.

I might try that dishsoap trick with my high concentrated stuff that wont mix with water. Im curious to see what happens
 
Got my gallon today, so far it does not mix well with water. Dish soap makes it last longer with water but you still have to keep shaking it up before you use it. I'm talking to some people right now that sell 'Emulsifiers' and seeing what they can do.

But this stuff is amazing, I just got done cleaning a pair of shoes that now look brand new. The inside of my trashcan now looks like the day I bought it. I even took a drop and stuck it on my tounge, and have been tasting oranges now for the last 25 minutes! This stuff is powerful...
 
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