Are degreasers for food soils (animal fats and vegetable oils) and petroleum soils (grease and oil) chemically different?
While you will find products that claim to be multi-surface and all-purpose cleaners, these will not likely be as effective as products that are specifically chemically designed for degreasing other products.
Some chemicals are emulsifying, which means separating the oil from the water or other liquid from a second liquid. You need different chemicals to create the right reaction in these instances, so your best bet is to use a degreaser that is specifically labeled for the cleaning task you are performing.
Good ones usually are different. Since a good degreaser will work on both soil types, some vendors only sell one product. Essential Industries’ products are formulated specifically for the task at hand. Food Service Degreaser (#2258) contains ingredients that aggressively saponify (remove) food fats. Hi Power Degreaser (#354), on the other hand, is specifically designed for industrial degreasing of soils such as cutting oils, axle grease and other heavy soil.
