Barbara Kanegsberg

August 2017

Is it a Cleaning Step?

[Originally published July, 2005] Identifying the cleaning steps is not necessarily obvious, especially in multi-step processes. In fact, when we consult with our clients, particularly in troubleshooting projects, one of our first bits of detective work involves working our way through the build process and noting the cleaning steps. It […]
July 2017

Ultrasonic Rinsing?

“Enjoying your newsletter. Wondering if you can comment on using ultrasonics during rinsing.” Clean Source subscriber Our short answer is: All other things, being equal, use ultrasonics not only during cleaning but during rinsing. Ultrasonics are necessary to access and remove soil during the wash (or clean) step; and ultrasonics […]
April 2017

Do You Have to Test?

One Clean Source reader asked a question about the need to run cleanliness testing. “Have you ever written an article that explains why/not ionic contamination testing is required if using no-clean fluxes?” In a global sense, the question is related to: How clean is clean enough? When do you need […]
March 2017

Does Cleaning Experience Mean Inertia?

In a recent LinkedIn post, one of our colleagues, Randy Leighty, comments that “experience is a great teacher, but it can be an obstacle to innovation and continuous improvement.”  We ask: Is experience inherently an obstacle to improvement? Let’s start with a round of applause for inertia! Critical cleaning involves […]
October 2016

Consumer Products for Precision Cleaning – True or False

Never use a consumer/automotive cleaning agent for precision cleaning high-value product. True or false Quick! True or false. This is a timed test, and you will be graded. I hate true/false tests; there’s no room for nuance. In critical and precision cleaning, particularly of high-value product, most decisions are situational. […]
August 2016

“Perfect” Cleaning Process? New Guidance

High-value product has to be clean to function reliably; but nearly all manufacturing processes inevitably generate soils. You should know about an important new guidance document. While it is designed for medical device manufacturing, it should be of value to anyone concerned with cleaning and contamination control. “Tell me the […]
June 2016

“Native Advertising” Part 2 – Regulatory Agendas and More

Think critically; clean critically. To grow your manufacturing business, you must make well-informed, cost-effective decisions about critical product cleaning. Consider the source. Advertising influences our critical cleaning decisions – it’s unavoidable. In our March 2016 issue of Clean Source, we described the pervasive influence of native advertising. We showed you […]
May 2016

Salad Dressing and “Layered” Cocktails

During a recent cleaning and chemistry course, a student asked a thought-provoking question about solubility, miscibility, and cocktail hour.  I explained that some liquids, like oil and water, are immiscible. That is, they don’t form a “single phase;” the oil is on top of the water. The observant student wondered […]
March 2016

Think Critically, Clean Critically – “Native Advertising” Part 1

To me, “native advertising” evokes the cast of “Madmen” in vintage business suits and starched white shirts sitting cross-legged, somberly thumping on bongo drums with one hand and hoisting diet sodas with the other. Native advertising is not exotic; it is an example of how the line between fact and […]