If Your Facility Is Still Using Solvent Tanks, There’s a Better Way

Across the steel mills and heavy industrial shops of Northwest Indiana, a quiet transformation is underway. Facilities that spent decades cleaning tools and parts with petroleum-based solvents are switching to aqueous parts washing — and the results are dramatic.

We recently put together a short video that walks through exactly why this shift is happening and what it looks like in practice. Take a few minutes to watch it:

The Problem with Solvent Cleaning

Traditional petroleum and chlorinated solvent washers have been an industry staple for decades, but they come with serious trade-offs that are getting harder to ignore:

  • Hazardous waste generation — In many facilities, solvent tanks are the single largest source of hazardous waste.
  • Flammability risk — Open solvent tanks near hot steel operations, welding, and torches create real fire hazards.
  • Worker exposure — Harmful vapors, skin contact with petroleum-based chemicals, and VOC emissions affect the people doing the work every day.
  • Contaminated oil streams — Solvent residue contaminates used oil, creating additional disposal headaches.
  • Incomplete cleaning — Parts often need additional cleaning before finishing or painting because solvents leave oily residue behind.

There’s a cost to all of this — in compliance paperwork, disposal fees, PPE, and most importantly, in the health and safety of the people on your floor.

How Aqueous Parts Washing Works

An aqueous parts washer operates more like a heavy-duty industrial dishwasher than a solvent tank. It combines four cleaning factors that work together for dramatic results:

  1. Hot Water — Heated to optimal cleaning temperatures
  2. Specialized Industrial Detergent — Biodegradable, non-hazardous formulations
  3. High Volume, Low Pressure Spray — Thorough coverage without part damage
  4. Rotating Turntable — Ensures every surface gets cleaned

Dirty parts go in. The door closes. A timer is set. And the operator walks away to do more productive work. When the cycle finishes, parts come out clean — ready for service or finishing — with no hand scrubbing required.

The result is equal or better cleaning performance than solvents, with zero hazardous waste, safer working conditions, and reduced compliance costs.

What Our Customers Are Saying

The video above includes direct feedback from two customers who are using CUDA aqueous parts washers in demanding steel mill environments every day.

“We lease the 4860 front loader because of the size of the furnace demisters and because when the demisters are removed from the furnace, they are caked in coke dust and grime. Normally it takes hours to clean one and the cost in labor is exorbitant. Our payback period on the 4860 is half a day. Amazing. We load the CUDA with a few demisters, turn the timer on, and return 45 minutes later.”

— Rob Crisp, Project Manager, US Steel Gary Works

“The valve oil strainers are a lot cleaner using the CUDAs, and productivity is way up. We put the strainers in the CUDA, turn the timer on, and go back to doing more important things. That’s the difference. Less manual labor, more productivity, faster turnaround, immediate ROI.”

— Dan Grace, Cleveland-Cliffs Indiana Harbor East

Both testimonials share a common theme: the machine does the dirty work so your people can do more important things. That’s not just a cleaning improvement — it’s a labor productivity gain with immediate return on investment.

More Than a Machine — A Complete Service Program

At Calumet Chicago Company, we don’t just drop off a parts washer and leave. Our full-service leasing program includes:

  • On-site user training at installation
  • Customer service response within 24 hours
  • Liquid and solid waste removal
  • Complete maintenance — including all replacement parts and labor
  • Water testing and detergent replenishment
  • Structured bimonthly inspection checklist

We currently service over 90 parts washers throughout Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicago industrial corridor. We work with CUDA, JRI, and GenFab systems. This isn’t new territory for us — this is what we do every day.

Ready to See the Difference?

If you’re ready to reduce hazardous waste, improve worker safety, and increase productivity, we invite you to schedule an on-site cleaning demonstration.

Bring us your dirtiest part. We’ll prove the difference.

Call Calumet Chicago Company: 800-732-5538

Calumet Chicago Company — Turn-Key Parts Washing Solutions since 1963.