Aqueous cleaners are basically mixtures of water and surfactants. A huge proportion of these cleaning agents is water which is an essential component of cleaning liquids. Some cleaning agents are only composed of pure water. Emulsifiers, dispersants, and wetting agents act as surfactants that are essential in carrying out rigid cleanup process. There is no single type of cleaners because they are manufactured for varying purposes. For example, some cleaners are formulated to treat water hardness, dissolve oils, inhibit corrosion, chelate inorganic soils, and rinse equipment.

Usually, the quality of the cleaner depends on the quality of the surfactant or surfactants used, which can be ionic (cationic/anionic) or non-ionic. Surfactants as we know it reduces the surface tension of water and this allows the cleaning solution to spread to surfaces easily and even seep into porous surfaces and gaps. A surfactant acts as a bridge between grease or any hydrophobic substance and water. In fact, surfactants give soaps their detergency.

However, the chemical nature of aqueous cleaners alone does not guarantee effectiveness of cleaning. Other factors affect the effectiveness of the cleaning procedure such as temperature, duration of cleanup, concentration of cleaning agent, type of mechanical cleaning device, type of water, and the expertise of people handling the operations. For cleaners to be utilized to their maximum potential, the ideal cleaning equipment must be used in operation.

Such cleaning products are as a matter of fact mixtures of different chemicals, both inorganic and organic substances. Different chemicals perform different functions and are, therefore, used for different purposes. Some dissolve and wash away soil residues while another may melt fats and others are for final rinsing. The set of chemicals to use depends on what kind of dirt or residue you are dealing with at the moment. Hence, determining the chemical nature of the cleaning solution is important.

Planning your cleanup procedures is essential for cost-effective cleaning operations, from start to finish. Cleaning operations involve washing, rinsing and drying. However, an essential process occurs before the cleanup starts, and that involves evaluation of facility prior to cleaning to check which equipment and areas need cleaning. This should also involve preparation during which all equipment and instruments are checked to make sure they perform well and preparation of all necessary cleaning agents.

As implied earlier, washing involves removal of all unnecessary elements (dirt, grease, residues, etc.) in equipment and facilities. The next step is crucial and it's called rinsing. Rinsing removes all dirt and cleaning chemical residues. Washing and rinsing tanks, for instance, require special cleaning equipment that can send jets or sprays of cleaning solution and water onto inner tank surface. All necessary equipment for such purpose can be bought from suppliers of industrial cleaning equipment. Aqueous cleaners suppliers may offer a whole range of cleaning solutions for various purposes. Some may even offer products for treatment of waste oil.