Originally Posted by
Dave Mayer
It is a perverse law of the universe that the more toxic and flammable a solvent/degreaser, the better it works.
Water-based solvents (including anything green) are useless - this is basic chemistry.
White gas (camp fuel) is an outstanding solvent, but is volatile and it can blow you up. I've almost done it. I use it sparingly for tough jobs such as removing decals and road tar.
Mineral spirits (varsol) is a good compromise.
White gas...aka Coleman fuel, naphtha, white spirits, mineral turpentine, Stodard solvent, etc....is almost the same thing as "mineral spirits". It's not "odorless" because it has more aromatic compounds in it but it's still mineral spirits with similar properties and flashpoint. The flashpoint is on the lower end of the scale I gave above. Still pretty safe to use with adequate ventilation. It will ignite but so will odorless mineral spirits.
Although I'm not a fan of "green" degreasers, they aren't completely useless. They just require more of the degreaser and they require more rinsing with water then more rinsing with something to remove the water. Mineral spirits is more of a "one and done" solvent.
I will also say that diesel and kerosene may work as relatively safe solvents but they are much more oily and less easy to evaporate than mineral spirits are. Gasoline is a very unsafe solvent to use under
any conditions because of it's extreme flammability.