18 Sep 2026
Alconox detergents are designed for critical cleaning applications where residues, cross-contamination and equipment compatibility matter. The range supports manual, ultrasonic, machine-washing and clean-in-place applications across laboratory, environmental, pharmaceutical, food, healthcare and industrial settings.
 |
New to the range
Halojet®Low-Foam High Emulsification Cleaner
Halojet is a low-foaming, high-emulsifying detergent designed for efficient removal of difficult residues including oils, particulates, chemicals, solvents, buffing compounds, mould releases and metal oxides.
|
The full application guidance from the original Alconox Critical Cleaning Guide is retained below, with the original diagrams presented at a larger, more readable size.
Laboratory procedures can be compromised by interfering residues that prevent reliable results. At the same time, labware and instrumentation budgets are wasted by cleaners that etch, cloud or damage labware surfaces. Alconox detergents remove interfering residues without causing equipment deterioration - even when handling tough proteinaceous soils or radioisotope decontamination.
Formulated for all lab cleaning applications, Alconox products work effectively and economically without the hazards of strong acids and solvents, and they are free rinsing, corrosion inhibiting and biodegradable.
Accurate environmental testing of ground or surface water, soil or sediment requires the use of clean instruments, free of cross-contamination. From delicate pH meter probes to bailers, split-spoon samplers, augers, dredges and flow-through cells, each requires the appropriate process and detergent. Alconox aqueous detergents help maintain the level of testing accuracy required by EPA guidelines - without the risks and hazards associated with solvents.
United States EPA Environmental Services Division standard cleaning procedures require a “phosphate-free laboratory detergent such as LIQUINOX” for Teflon®, glass and stainless steel equipment used to sample trace organic compounds or metals.
If you have pharmaceutical or biotechnology production machinery that must be clean and free of interfering residues, Alconox has an acidic, neutral or alkaline biodegradable detergent for the job, including meeting applicable disposal requirements. Whether your process is manual, immersion or circulate CIP, almost any glass, plastic, metal, rubber or porcelain surface can be safely, effectively and economically cleaned with an Alconox detergent.
Alconox detergents are available worldwide with consistent formulations, certificates of analysis, ingredient toxicity data, shelf life information, residue sampling techniques, ingredients disclosure, analytical methods, lot number tracking, and validation support.
Critical cleaning of food, beverage and dairy processing equipment has a direct impact on the quality of food and beverage products. Alconox food-grade cleaners are effective for cleaning and prolonging the service life of food processing equipment - including difficult food-grade dairy cleaning, or UF and RO installations.
Alconox detergents are authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for use in federally inspected meat and poultry plants. And many food and beverage processors prefer Alconox detergents for their ability to remove stubborn meat and milk soils without leaving interfering residues.
From pilot labs to full production, packaging and bottling, Alconox manual, automatic and clean-in-place detergents help food, dairy and beverage processors maintain product purity to agar-plate-proven standards, increase throughput and improve profitability.
Healthcare cleaning procedures are intended to keep instruments and equipment clean and ready for sterilization, prolong their working life, minimize cross-contamination and reduce medical waste.
When proteinaceous soils such as blood or mucus must be removed, adding an enzyme to the detergent formula allows instruments to clean via soaking and gentle cleaning, rather than by abrasive scrubbing. This prolongs their working life and decreases the chance of microbial contamination. Corrosion inhibited detergents give effective low-foam cleaning in automated washers and cage washers.
Use the guide below as a starting point. Final product selection should consider the soil, surface, cleaning method and process requirements.
| Application | Manual / Ultrasonic / Soak | Machine / CIP |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratory | Alconox, Liquinox, Citranox, Tergazyme | Alcojet, Tergajet, Citrajet |
| Environmental | Liquinox, Tergajet, Citranox | Tergajet, Citrajet |
| Pharmaceutical / Biotech | Alconox, Liquinox, Citranox, Tergazyme | Alcojet, Tergajet, Citrajet |
| Food & Beverage | Alconox, Liquinox, Citranox, Tergazyme | Alcojet, Citrajet |
| Product | Form | Foam | Dilution (%) | Amount (g/L or mL/L) | Min Wash Temp. | Usual Wash Temp. | Max Wash Temp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALCONOX | Powder | Yes | 1 | 10 | Ambient | Warm | Boiling |
| TERGAZYME | Powder | Yes | 1 | 10 | Ambient | 43 - 49°C | 54°C |
| LIQUINOX | Liquid | Yes | 1 | 10 | Ambient | Warm | Boiling |
| CITRANOX | Liquid | Yes | 1 - 2 | 10 - 20 | Ambient | Hot | Boiling |
| ALCOJET | Powder | No | 1/2 - 1 | 5 - 10 | Warm | Hot | Boiling |
| ALCOTABS | Tablet | Yes | Ambient | Ambient | Boiling | ||
| LUMINOX | Liquid | No | 2 - 5 | 20 - 50 | Ambient | Warm | Boiling |
| CITRAJET | Liquid | No | 1 - 2 | 10 - 20 | Ambient | Hot | Boiling |
| TERGAJET | Powder | No | 1/2 - 1 | 5 - 10 | Warm | Hot | Boiling |
| DETONOX | Liquid | Yes | 1 - 3 | 10 - 30 | Ambient | Warm | Boiling |
Best suited to: Small items, tubing, metal parts and tank interiors. Fully submerge items in the prepared solution until clean, then remove and rinse thoroughly.
Best suited to: Fast, repeatable cleaning of multiple batches. Prepare the detergent solution separately, degas the ultrasonic bath, immerse compatible items and rinse thoroughly after cleaning.
Best suited to: High-volume cleaning. Position items for effective spray contact and drainage, use an appropriate low-foaming detergent, follow machine dosing guidance and rinse thoroughly.
Follow the detergent label and technical documentation for dilution, temperature, surface compatibility and rinsing requirements. For critical cleaning, use appropriate purified rinse water where required by the process.
This acronym is formed from the first letter in each of the nine critical variables in cleaning. Each offers an opportunity for cleaning process optimisation.
| B | Before cleaning
Presoak, prevent residues from drying and hardening, or stop any pre-cleaning procedures that make cleaning more difficult. |
| A | Agitation
The more agitation, the better. Add or increase scrubbing, ultrasonic, spraying or flowing. |
| T | Time
The longer the cleaning, the more available cleaning capacity is used. Until you run out. |
| H | Heat
Every 10°C increase in cleaning temperature doubles the cleaning speed. Clean as hot as practical, without damaging your substrate. |
| O | Orientation
Surfaces must be oriented to contact cleaning solution and rinse water. Rotate parts to release air in blind holes, and rack to prevent holding liquid between surfaces. |
| C | Chemistry
Use detergent suitable for the type of residue and cleaning method. Use low foam for high agitation and high foam for immersion and ultrasonic cleaning. |
| A | After cleaning
Avoid recontamination and corrosion-causing humidity and heat. |
| R | Rinse
Use suitably pure rinse water to avoid rinse-water residues. Hot rinse avoids breaking emulsion and redepositing. Cold rinse reduces corrosion. |
| D | Dry
Removing water by alcohol dip, wiping, blowing or centrifuge reduces rinse-water residues and corrosion. |
Corrosion during cleaning is accelerated by the same things that accelerate cleaning: heat, aggressive chemicals, time and agitation. To reduce metal corrosion, in approximate order of effect, use less heat, corrosion inhibited detergents, lower pH or pH-appropriate detergents, shorter cleaning time and less agitation. Avoid mixed metals in the same bath that form batteries and deposit galvanic oxides.
Metal: Use the mildest pH detergent and avoid mixed metals in the same bath.
Aluminium: After abrasion exposes pure metal surface, allow air passivation time prior to cleaning. Use mild acid cleaners such as CITRANOX or CITRAJET to avoid alkaline attack.
Plastic: Use less aggressive cleaners, lower concentrations, lower cleaning temperatures, less contact time and less agitation. For stressed polycarbonate and acrylic use surfactant-free DETOJET for cleaning. Avoid alkaline cleaners on polyurethane.
Mild sensitive steel: Avoid flash rusting by rinsing with cold water and using rapid water-removing drying techniques such as isopropyl alcohol dip, centrifuge drying, wiping, air knives or oxygen-free gas such as dry nitrogen. Do not use evaporative air or oven drying.
Sensitive steel: Clean with an inhibited cleaner and isopropyl alcohol rinse, or add a suitable corrosion inhibitor to the rinse water.
Galvanic corrosion: Avoid mixed metals in the same bath. Intact stainless steel is generally acceptable, but iron, steel, brass, aluminium, bronze and other metals can be problematic when mixed.
For the highest levels of critical cleaning, especially to avoid cross contamination, only freshly prepared solutions should be used. For industrial cleaning applications, bath life can be extended while still achieving high levels of cleaning.
Conductivity, pH and % solids by refractometer can be used to measure bath detergent concentration. In general, a pH change of 1 unit toward neutral indicates an exhausted cleaning solution. Under frequent daily use, detergent solutions can rarely be used more than a week, even when being extended.
For example, if the initial solution contains 100 mL of cleaner concentrate and there is a 25% drop in free alkalinity, try adding 25 mL of cleaner concentrate to recharge the solution. This process cannot be repeated indefinitely because sludge will eventually form and require a fresh solution.
We have chosen not to feature any of the Alconox range which are dangerous goods as we do not stock and freight is expensive. If required, please enquire.
Detojet - Heavy-duty alkaline degreaser. Nonionic liquid for labware and machine washers, manual and ultrasonic cleaning. Corrosion-inhibited for glass, metals and plastic. No interfering residues. Has inhibitory residue test. USDA/FDA compliant. Dilute 1:200. pH 12.
Solujet - Nonionic liquid for machine, spray-CIP, manual, soak and ultrasonic cleaning. High emulsifying and penetrating formula. Corrosion-inhibited for glass, metals and plastic. No interfering residues. Has inhibitory residue test. FDA compliant. Dilute 1:200. pH 12.
Detergent 8 - Nonionic detergent for PC board washing machines, manual and ultrasonic cleaning. Ion and chelate free for no conductive residues on electronics and no chelate interference in waste. Phosphate-free. Dilute 3:100. pH 11.
Contact Rowe Scientific for product selection, availability and more information about Halojet and the Alconox critical cleaning range.
Contact Rowe Scientific
