Industrial Degreasers & Cleaning Chemicals
Chemistry + Expertise for Your Toughest Cleaning Challenges
Custom-formulated industrial cleaning chemistry backed by 65+ years of application expertise. Tell us what you need to clean — we’ll recommend the right solution.
65+ Years | 220+ Products | 4,000+ Clients | Serving North America
Get a Product Recommendation
We respect your privacy. Your information will not be shared.
Supplied in pails, drums, totes and bulk.
Tell us the volume you run and we will quote the format that fits it. Most inquiries get a response within one business day.
What Happens When You Request a Recommendation
A Guardian industrial cleaning specialist will contact you to understand your application, your deposit, and your cleaning challenges.
Our team will review your deposit, surface, and operating conditions — and if needed, our lab will test your soil to identify the most effective chemistry.
We’ll provide a product recommendation, application guidance, and a quote — with no obligation to proceed.
If the solution makes sense for your operation, we’ll arrange supply, provide application training, and support you from day one.
Why the Right Industrial Degreaser Matters
Choosing the wrong cleaning chemistry costs you more than just money. The wrong degreaser means longer cleaning times, more chemical consumption, damaged surfaces, and unnecessary safety risk. Conventional solvents with low flash points and high VOC content put your workers at risk and may not comply with Canada’s VOC regulations.
The truth is: the deposit determines the chemistry, not the other way around. Water-based cleaners work for light soils. Solvent-based cleaners dissolve heavy oils. But for the toughest industrial soils—bitumen, heavy oil, crude, tar, oil sands deposits—you need hybrid formulations that combine the best of both.
That’s where most suppliers fall short. They sell products off a shelf. We start by understanding your deposit, your surface, and your operating conditions—then we recommend (or formulate) the right chemistry.
How to Choose the Right Industrial Cleaner
Industrial cleaners fall into three main categories, and the right choice depends on your deposit:
Water-based cleaners are best for light soils, water-soluble deposits, and applications where flammability and VOC exposure are primary concerns. They’re non-flammable, low-odour, and often the most economical option. Guardian’s E-5 is a Green Seal certified water-based cleaner that replaces multiple products.
Solvent-based cleaners dissolve heavy oils, greases, and hydrocarbon deposits that water-based products can’t touch. Look for high flash points (>80°C) and low VOC content to reduce safety and compliance risk. Guardian’s TerraSol ULV offers a flash point above 95°C with ultra-low VOC.
Hybrid degreasers combine the best of both — solvent power for heavy hydrocarbons plus water-based rinsability. These are the right choice for the toughest deposits like oil sands, which contain dirt, sand, and heavy oil together. Guardian’s Breakaway VF is a VOC-free hybrid degreaser.
Not sure which type is right? Read our full guide: “Water-Based vs. Solvent-Based Cleaners: How to Choose.”
For a longer walk-through of the trade-offs, read our guide on how to choose an industrial degreaser for oil sands and heavy industry. Cleaning aluminum? Our guide to acid washing aluminum covers which acids clean it without etching.
Parts washers. Solvent and aqueous options for soak tanks, spray cabinets and hot tanks. For solvent washers and soak tanks we match from TERRASOL ULV, Breakaway VF, Greensol ULV, Hydrosol ULV and Pentrax ULV, with Citrex LV where the parts have to come out non-conductive and residue-free. For spray cabinets and hot tanks we match from Super HTD 300, TW Premium, Lumex and Red Hot Mamma. Tell us the parts, the soil and the washer type and we will recommend the product.
Related case studies
Industrial Cleaning Chemistry for Every Application
Different deposits require different chemistry. Whether you’re cleaning heavy equipment in a wash bay, removing bitumen from oilfield assets, or maintaining process equipment — we have a solution built for your application.
Heavy Equipment & Wash Bays
Oil Sands & Bitumen Removal
Fleet & Transportation
Parts Washers & Process Equipment
Shutdown & Turnaround Chemistry
Custom Formulations
What Sets Guardian Apart
Finding the right chemistry is only part of the equation. Here’s why 4,000+ clients trust Guardian to get it right.
In Alberta, we blend in Sturgeon County and deliver into the Edmonton metro every day. See our Edmonton industrial degreaser supplier page.
Local supply and service: Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray oil sands, Toronto and the GTA and Vancouver.
Custom Formulations
We don’t force-fit products from a catalog. Our R&D lab analyzes your deposit and formulates the right chemistry for your exact application—deposit, surface, temperature, and operating conditions.
Technical Support
Product selection is just the start. We provide deposit analysis, dilution guidance, field trials, application training, and ongoing program optimization. We’re there when you need us.
Safety-Forward Chemistry
High flash points (>95°C), ultra-low VOC, and VOC-free formulations, with less fire risk and solvent vapour than conventional solvents. Our chemistry meets or exceeds Canada’s VOC legislation.
Proven in the Field
65+ years serving oil sands, mining, manufacturing, transportation, and heavy industry. 4,000+ clients across North America trust Guardian.
Featured Cleaners and Degreasers
What Customers Say About Guardian’s Cleaning & Degreasing Solutions
“Guardian Chemicals is a trusted vendor. Responsive, helpful and providing great customer support, they are an important part of our team. Their products work as-advertised and are competitively priced.”
“Have dealt with Guardian many times over the years and they have always come through with great products and great solutions. Highly recommend!”
"We brought...Guardian Chemicals into our business to offer options to simplify our truck washing soap product line. [They] provided a single cost effective product that spans all of our various site needs and has been user accepted."
Cleaning & Degreasing Case Studies
Get a Product Recommendation
Tell us what you need to clean — the deposit, the equipment, the conditions — and a Guardian specialist will recommend the right chemistry for your operation. Most responses within one business day.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cleaning & Degreasing
The best degreaser depends on the deposit you’re removing and the surface you’re cleaning. For heavy oil, bitumen, and oil sands deposits, hybrid degreasers like TerraSol ULV (flash point >95°C, ultra-low VOC) or Breakaway VF (VOC-free) combine cleaning power with low or no VOC content and flash points well above conventional solvents. For lighter soils, water-based options may be more appropriate. Contact us for a deposit analysis and personalized recommendation.
Water-based cleaners are best for light soils and water-soluble deposits. Solvent-based cleaners dissolve heavy oils and hydrocarbon deposits. Hybrid degreasers combine both for the toughest deposits like oil sands, which contain dirt, sand, and heavy oil together. Consider the deposit type, flash point requirements, VOC regulations, and your application method (spray, soak, circulation) when choosing.
VOC-free degreasers contain no Volatile Organic Compounds—chemicals that evaporate at room temperature and contribute to air pollution and worker health risks. Canada’s VOC legislation limits VOC content in solvents and degreasers. VOC-free options like Breakaway VF eliminate these emissions entirely while delivering effective cleaning performance.
For solvent washers and soak tanks: TERRASOL ULV, Breakaway VF, Greensol ULV, Hydrosol ULV and Pentrax ULV, plus Citrex LV where the parts have to come out non-conductive and residue-free. For spray cabinets and hot tanks: Super HTD 300, TW Premium, Lumex and Red Hot Mamma. Tell us the parts, the soil and the washer type and we will match the product.
Yes. Guardian Chemicals’ R&D lab can analyze your deposit and formulate a degreaser tailored to your exact application—specific to your deposit, surface, temperature, and operating conditions. Contact us to discuss your application.
Contact us using the form on this page or call our team directly. We’ll start with understanding your application, recommend the right chemistry, and arrange supply in the format you need—drums, totes, or bulk.
Not sure which product is right?
Tell us what you’re cleaning and we’ll recommend the best solution for your application.
