Shoutout to crews using green cleaners for avionics gear. Got tips?

I keep seeing huge stacks of empty solvent bottles in our recycle bin. It just seems SO wasteful for the environment. We use them for cleaning circuit boards and connector pins every day. Has anyone switched to biodegradable or less toxic options that actually WORK? I tried one brand but it left residue on sensitive parts. What specific products are you all using that get the job done without the plastic waste? I really want to push our shop to make a better choice here.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_tyler2mo ago

Oh man, I totally get where Joel is coming from! I used to think the same way, that one little bottle doesn't matter. But seeing those huge stacks pile up every week really changed my mind. It adds up fast, and finding a cleaner that works without all that waste feels like a real win. Nelson's tip about the refillable spray bottle for isopropyl sounds like a solid place to start pushing for a change.

nelson.dakota2mo ago

Yeah, the waste is crazy. When you said you see stacks of empty bottles, I get it. We use a citrus cleaner for basic gunk on office gear and it does the job. For circuit boards, isopropyl alcohol in a refillable spray bottle works well if you get the strong kind. It leaves no residue and you reuse the bottle. That switch cut our plastic waste by a lot. It's worth trying in your shop.

joelgrant2mo ago

Is the waste from empty bottles actually that serious? I mean, come on, there are way bigger problems out there. Switching to a refillable spray bottle seems like a tiny drop in the bucket. Do you really think that cuts down on plastic waste in a real way? Most of that plastic probably gets recycled anyway, right? It just feels like people are making a big deal out of nothing sometimes.