Eco-Friendly Car Wash Engine Degreasing

According to the 2025 Industry Report released by GEP Research, the global market size of oil stain cleaners has exceeded USD 10 billion, with the demand growth rate in the automotive sector surging to 8.5%. Environmental friendliness and functional efficiency have emerged as the core pillars of industry development. As the "heart" of an automobile, engine oil buildup not only diminishes power output and increases fuel consumption but also triggers catastrophic failures such as cylinder scoring and detonation in severe cases. However, amid the diverse array of engine degreasers and motor degreasers flooding the market, most car owners and maintenance professionals still harbor misconceptions when making product selections. This article deciphers the core logic of high-efficiency automotive cleaning from three perspectives—industry trends, cleaning mechanisms, and scenario-based applications—and unveils the innovative advantages of Shengqing’s SQ-Degreaser 90 in the realm of automotive degreasers.

Industry Transformation: The Paradigm Shift from "Powerful Degreasing" to "Eco-Compatible Cleaning"

In the past, heavy-duty degreasers predominantly relied on solvent-based formulations. While capable of dissolving oil sludge rapidly, their high VOC emissions and strong corrosiveness not only contravene the tenets of the "dual carbon" policy but also inflict irreversible damage on engine aluminum components. With the tightening enforcement of EU REACH regulations and China’s green manufacturing standards, biodegradable, eco-friendly engine degreasers have ascended to mainstream status, boasting an annual market share growth rate of over 11%.

Practices in the automotive maintenance industry have further validated the imperative of environmental transformation. The FAW-Volkswagen Engine Remanufacturing Workshop explicitly mandates that cleaning agents must be compatible with multiple materials including aluminum, copper, and plastics, with post-cleaning impurity residue strictly capped at 10mg. Traditional solvent-based engine grease removers, hampered by their aggressive corrosiveness, require material-specific batch cleaning, resulting in abysmal operational efficiency. In stark contrast, premium water-based engine cleaners achieve "one-product-multiple-uses" through scientifically engineered formulations, striking a perfect balance between cleaning efficacy and application safety.

Cleaning Mechanism: How Surfactants Dictate Degreasing Performance?

The core component of engine oil stains is sludge, a tenacious mixture of oxidized engine oil polymers and dust particles. Characterized by strong adhesion and deep penetration, it proves impervious to removal by conventional cleaners. The rise of water-based cleaners hinges on a technological breakthrough in surfactants—these components reduce the oil-water interfacial tension via their amphiphilic structure, delivering four key effects on oil stains: wetting, penetration, emulsification, and suspension.

Developed by Shengqing, SQ-Degreaser 90 is a high-performance surfactant blend that precisely addresses three critical pain points of traditional degreasers:

Broad pH Adaptability: Maintains exceptional stability in both acidic and alkaline environments, eliminating the need for frequent formula adjustments to suit diverse cleaning scenarios.

Rapid Wetting & Penetration: Penetrates thick sludge layers to reach the substrate surface within 5–10 minutes, preventing damage to engine circuits and seals caused by prolonged soaking.

Dual Emulsification & Suspension Functionality: Decomposes oil stains into micro-droplets and locks them firmly in place, preventing secondary deposition post-cleaning.

This unique set of properties renders it not only ideal for water-based engine degreaser formulations but also a core ingredient in all-purpose degreasers.

Compared with traditional products, SQ-Degreaser 90 boasts distinct formulation advantages. Ordinary surfactants are mostly single-type, making it difficult to balance penetration and compatibility. In contrast, its blend system allows ratio adjustment on demand, catering to both the heavy oil stain removal requirements of heavy-duty degreasers and the precision cleaning needs of delicate components. It provides flexible formulation support for diverse product forms such as aerosol engine degreasers and gel engine degreasers.

Scenario Implementation: Full-Spectrum Application Solutions of SQ-Degreaser 90

From DIY car owners to large-scale maintenance factories, different users have varying demands for engine cleaning. Leveraging its exceptional versatility, SQ-Degreaser 90 delivers full-scenario coverage, emerging as the "universal formula core" in the automotive cleaning sector.

1. Engine Bay Cleaning (Engine Bay Cleaner)

The engine bay features a complex structure with densely packed circuits and sensors, demanding a delicate balance between degreasing power and application safety during cleaning. Water-based cleaners infused with SQ-Degreaser 90 can be directly sprayed onto the surface of a cooled engine bay. After a 5-minute dwell time to fully emulsify oil stains, rinse thoroughly with a low-pressure high-pressure water gun. Its mild formula will not corrode aluminum cylinder blocks or plastic pipelines, and leaves zero residue, enabling immediate engine startup without additional wiping. It perfectly resolves the long-standing issues of "corrosiveness and residue" associated with traditional cleaners, making it the preferred formula component for aluminum-safe engine degreasers.

2. Carburetor Cleaning (Carburetor Cleaner)

As the core of the fuel system, carburetors feature narrow oil passages and precision orifices. Accumulation of gums and sludge often disrupts the air-fuel ratio, leading to reduced power and unstable idling. The robust penetration of SQ-Degreaser 90 can reach deep into tiny oil passages to dissolve stubborn deposits, while its suspension property prevents impurities from clogging the orifices. Incorporating it into carburetor cleaner formulations significantly enhances cleaning precision, restores optimal fuel atomization, and reduces fuel consumption.

3. Bulk Cleaning & All-Purpose Applications (Bulk Engine Degreaser/All-Purpose Degreaser)

For bulk cleaning needs such as those of automotive maintenance workshops and vehicle fleets, bulk engine degreasers containing SQ-Degreaser 90 can be tailored to different oil stain severity levels by adjusting the concentration (15%–25%). When paired with high-pressure cleaning equipment, it achieves highly efficient operations, boasting a cleaning efficiency that is 30% higher than traditional products. Meanwhile, its superior compatibility allows it to be extended into an all-purpose degreaser for cleaning hard surfaces such as wheel hubs, chassis, and tools, realizing "one agent for one vehicle, multi-scenario reuse" and slashing enterprise procurement and inventory costs.

Industry Outlook: The Future Trajectory of Green Cleaning?

The global cleaning agent industry is undergoing a transformative shift from "basic chemicals" to "solution-oriented products", with biodegradable surfactants and smart responsive formulations emerging as key R&D hotspots. The R&D philosophy behind SQ-Degreaser 90 is perfectly aligned with this trend—through blend technology, it balances cleaning power, environmental friendliness, and compatibility to provide flexible formulation support for enterprises. Whether it is brand manufacturers pursuing environmental compliance or maintenance institutions prioritizing efficiency and cost-effectiveness, all can develop automotive cleaning products tailored to their specific needs based on SQ-Degreaser 90.

For car owners, choosing an eco-friendly engine degreaser enriched with high-quality surfactants is not only a prudent decision to prolong engine lifespan and reduce maintenance costs but also a tangible demonstration of practicing green mobility. In the future, with continuous technological iterations, core ingredients like SQ-Degreaser 90 will continue to drive the automotive cleaning industry toward a more efficient, eco-friendly, and precision-focused future.