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Natural Citrus Solvent by The Real Milk Paint Company is used as a direct replacement for mineral spirits and odorless mineral spirits. Citrus Solvent can be used wherever paint thinner or mineral spirits are required as a natural, safer alternative. Citrus Solvent is not the same as any of the other “citrus-branded” cleaning products on the market, including Citrus Solve or Citri-Solve. It is, however, an excellent degreaser, paint thinner alternative, and can be used to replace petroleum chemicals such as mineral spirits.
Citrus Solvent is 98% pure citrus peel oil extracted from the peel of the orange fruit; the other 2% is water. This small amount of water is emulsified in the solvent and will not raise wood grain but is released into the air as the solvent evaporates.
NOTE: Citrus Natural Solvent can only be shipped through UPS Ground because of its flammability rating; therefore, overnight, second day or any air deliveries are not possible. Whenever possible, it is easier for us to ship UPS as they have a complete tracking system which allows us to track the package for safety purposes. We can ship via USPS Priority Mail to Hawaii and off-shore locations, but tracking is not ideal with USPS.
Citrus Natural Solvent is an excellent Alternative to Odorless Mineral Spirits
Odorless mineral spirits is a sub-category of mineral spirits, a widely used paint thinning substitute for turpentine. First developed for the dry cleaning industry and known as Stoddard solvent, mineral spirits has been around since the 1920’s.
Mineral spirits is a mild petroleum distillate with a low volatility. It is typically used today for lubrication, cleaning, and degreasing. The variety of mineral spirits most commonly used in painting is type II odorless mineral spirits. With the following of certain precautionary measures, the use of both mineral spirits and odorless mineral spirits is considered safe for cleaning applications. While odorless mineral spirits is treated to remove the aromatic elements, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) still advises of potential health effects associated with the use of all types of mineral spirits. These effects include eye and skin irritation, as well as dangers from inhalation or ingestion. Prolonged exposure, such as the repeated use of odorless mineral spirits in the workplace, can lead to organ damage.
Real Milk Paint Citrus Natural Solvent is an excellent alternative to odorless mineral spirits. It is safe to use and environmentally friendly, but powerful enough to effectively do the work of odorless mineral spirits. The 98% pure citrus peel oil, 2% water formula is tough enough to remove paint, degrease, clean tar and asphalt, and a host of other challenging jobs, for which odorless mineral spirits is often used.
Citrus Natural Solvent offers the following advantages over odorless mineral spirits:
Citrus Natural Solvent is a biodegradable, naturally-occurring solvent, as the main component is simply citrus peel oil. Citrus Solvent’s interesting chemical properties, pleasant citrus aroma, and FDA-GRAS rating (“generally recognized as safe”) have earned the product phenomenal acceptance in many diverse chemical applications. Citrus Solvent can be used in its pure form, or blended with most other solvents and drying oils.
Citrus Natural Solvent is the major component of the oil extracted from citrus rind. When citrus fruits are juiced, the oil is pressed out of the rind. This oil is separated from the juice, and distilled to recover certain flavor and fragrance compounds. The bulk of the oil is left behind and collected as “food grade” citrus oil. After the juicing process, the peels are conveyed to a steam extractor. This extracts more of the oil from the peel. When the steam has been condensed, a layer of oil then floats on the surface of the condensed water. The result is technical grade citrus solvent, which is the main ingredient in our Citrus Solvent.
In the past decade, the use of citrus natural solvent has expanded tremendously. Much of the product goes into making paint solids, used into impart an orange fragrance to products, and used as a secondary cooling fluid. But the largest growth segment has been the use of citrus solvent in cleaning products. This has occurred in both industrial uses and in household/institutional products. Citrus solvent can be used either as a straight solvent, or as a water-diluted product.
As with most organic solvents, citrus natural solvent is not water-soluble, so it can be used in ordinary water separation units. With a KB value of 67, citrus solvent has solubility properties close to that of CFCs. This fact, combined with the environmentally-friendly and non-toxic nature of the substance, is a clear indication that it is a much better alternative to typical caustic mineral spirits or paint thinners. Straight citrus solvent can be used as a wipe cleaner, in a dip bath, or in spray systems as a direct substitute for most other organic solvents.
