Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice

Aerosol Brake Parts Cleaner — Which one is most effective?

Which Aerosol Brake Parts Cleaner is Most Effective and Safest to Use?

Aerosol brake parts cleaner is an essential tool for any DIYer. It’s used to remove brake dust and grease from just about anything. There are two types of aerosol brake parts cleaners: chlorinated and non-chlorinated. So how do you choose? I’ll give you the pros and cons of each.

What you should know about Chlorinated Aerosol Brake Cleaner

Chlorinated brake cleaners are made with industrial solvents like perchloroethylene, and methylene chloride; the same chemicals used by dry cleaners. They are non-flammable and fast-drying, making them ideal for cleaning brake parts.

The term “Chlorinated” refers to the presence of Chlorine atoms in certain places within the molecular structure. These chlorine atoms help power the chemical’s solvent properties.

These solvents excel in removing grease, but there’s a downside; percholrethylene and Methylene Chloride can be toxic and are classified in Group 2A, which means it’s “probably” a carcinogen in humans. It is also “probably” linked to Parkinson’s Disease.

In the presence of a flame, percholrethylene turns into extremely deadly Phosgene gas, which is a chemical weapon that kills in very low concentrations. So it’s never a good idea to use this type of cleaner right before heating a part with a torch.

Inhaling large amounts of Methylene Chloride can cause difficulty concentrating, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, headaches, numbness, weakness, and irritation of the upper respiratory tract and eyes. For those with pre-existing heart problems, breathing large amounts of Methylene Chloride can cause abnormal heart rhythms and/or heart attacks.

Pros
• Clean much better than non-chlorinated products (except for the 3M brand)
• Non-flammable

Cons
• Contain probably carcinogens
• Illegal for sale in CA, NJ

Then there’s the non-chlorinated aerosol brake cleaners

To be classified as non-chlorinated a brake cleaner it must not contain any chlorinated solvents. This doesn’t necessarily make it any safer though. In fact, all non-chlorinated brake cleaners are highly flammable and are made from solvents like acetone, ethanol, methanol, and isopropanol. Pretty much every professional technician agrees the non-chlorinated products aren’t as effective as the chlorinated sprays.

Pros
• Not quite as harmful to your health
• Less expensive than alternative products

Cons
• Highly flammable
• Don’t clean as well as chlorinated products (except for the 3M brand)

Some brake cleaner products can’t be sold in many States because of their volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are compounds that have vaporize easily and can affect your breathing, as well as irritate the eyes, nose and throat. They can also cause nausea, and can damage the central nervous system and other organs.

In other words, you may not have a choice between chlorinated versus non-chlorinated aerosol brake cleaner.

Which products work best

I agree with the majority that the chlorinated products work much better than the non-chlorinated sprays. If you go down that road, make sure you use adequate ventilation. If you choose a non-chlorinated product, don’t smoke or light a torch right after using the product.

Here are some of the best selling brake parts cleaner brands

CRC Brakleen Non-Flammable — Chlorinated Red Can — Almost 100% perchloroethylene with no paint-damaging methylene chloride. Not available in California or New Jersey and can cost more than some non-chlorinated brake cleaners.

3M High Power: Incredibly effective, even more so than the CRC chlorinated product. But it costs more.

aerosol brake cleaner

Sprayway® Brake Parts Cleaner – Ultra Low VOC S-25324. Quickly remove brake fluid and oil from metal components. Dries instantly with no residue. Non-chlorinated. 50-state compliant.

Sprayway® Brake Parts Cleaner – Chlorinated S-25323. Quickly remove brake fluid and oil from metal components. Dries instantly with no residue.

Rick’s choice

I prefer the CRC chlorinated brake parts cleaner over all the others.

©, 2024 Rick Muscoplat

Posted on by Rick Muscoplat



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