Non-Hazardous Industrial Degreaser: Why the Industry Is Finally Making the Switch

For decades, the standard industrial degreaser in oil and gas was some variation of a petroleum-based solvent. It cut grease, dissolved hydrocarbons, and got the job done. It also gave your guys headaches, required hazmat PPE, generated hazardous waste, and had a flash point low enough to make the safety department nervous.

That was fine when there weren’t better options. But there are better options now, and the companies still using hazardous solvents are paying for it — in disposal costs, in OSHA exposure, in crew health, and in downtime.

What OSHA Actually Cares About

OSHA doesn’t show up because your floor is dirty. They show up because someone got hurt, or because a complaint was filed, or because your facility was due for an inspection. And when they walk through during a cleaning operation and find your crew using a flammable, hazardous solvent inside or around a vessel, that’s a finding.

Here’s what they’re looking at:

• SDS compliance. Does the product require specific ventilation, PPE, or exposure monitoring? Are you providing all of that?
• Permissible exposure limits. If your degreaser is off-gassing VOCs, are your crew’s exposure levels within PELs? Can you prove it?
• Hot work controls. If the degreaser is flammable, have you properly isolated the area? Are hot work permits in place?
• Hazardous waste handling. Is the waste being characterized, labeled, stored, and disposed of according to RCRA?

Every one of those requirements adds time, cost, and liability to your cleaning operation. And every one of them goes away — or gets dramatically simpler — when you switch to a non-hazardous product.

The Hidden Costs of Hazardous Solvents

The per-gallon price of a hazardous solvent might look cheaper than a non-hazardous alternative. But that gallon price doesn’t include:

• PPE costs. Respiratory protection, chemical suits, face shields — not cheap, and not optional.
• Waste disposal. Hazardous waste disposal runs several times the cost of non-hazardous disposal. Every gallon of solvent you use becomes a gallon of hazardous waste you have to pay to get rid of.
• Downtime. Hazardous solvents require more safety controls, which means more setup time, more permits, and more standing around waiting for clearance.
• Medical monitoring. If your crew is regularly exposed to hazardous chemicals, OSHA may require medical surveillance programs.
• Liability. One exposure incident, one fire, one improper disposal — and you’re looking at fines, lawsuits, and workers’ comp claims that dwarf whatever you saved on chemical costs.

When you add all of that up, the “cheap” solvent isn’t cheap at all.

What Hasten Cleanse Brings to the Table

Hasten Cleanse is a water-based, non-hazardous, non-flammable industrial cleaning chemistry. It uses fatty acids and surfactants to break down hydrocarbons — no petroleum solvents, no bacteria, no microbes.

Here’s what changes when you switch:

• No special PPE beyond standard site requirements. The product is non-toxic and non-irritating.
• No hazardous waste generated. The wastewater from cleaning with Hasten Cleanse is non-hazardous. Disposal is simpler and dramatically cheaper.
• No flammability risk. Zero flash point. Your crew can work near hot surfaces, running equipment, and ignition sources without the fire risk.
• Non-corrosive. Won’t damage metal, coatings, gaskets, or seals. Use it on anything from carbon steel to stainless to fiberglass.
• TSCA compliant and biodegradable. Regulatory compliance is built into the product.

And it actually cleans better. We’ve run Hasten Cleanse head-to-head against every major industrial degreaser on the market, and it outperforms them on hydrocarbon removal while generating 50% less wastewater.

The Crews Notice First

The first thing we hear from crews who switch to Hasten Cleanse isn’t about cost savings or regulatory compliance. It’s “this stuff doesn’t make me feel sick.” No solvent smell. No burning eyes. No headaches at the end of the shift.

That matters. Retention is hard enough in this industry without sending your people home feeling like they got gassed all day.

Try It Against What You’re Using Now

We’ll bring our product to your site, set it up next to whatever degreaser you’re currently running, and let the results speak. We even do a live torch test — add gasoline to both products, put a torch to each one. Yours lights up. Ours doesn’t.

Every customer who has run that comparison has switched. And every one of them is still with us.

Call 832-655-7763 or email info@hastenchemical.com to schedule a side-by-side demo.