TUGA Chemie Teufels-Reiniger® Universal Cleaner 1000ml

Alkaline Removal of Grease, Oil, and Nicotine Film with TUGA Chemie's Teufels-Reiniger

What is Teufels-Reiniger? An alkaline all-purpose cleaner from TUGA Chemie that is diluted 1:50 to 1:5 depending on the degree of soiling. For engine bays, soiled bumpers, floor mats, door sills, sealed plastic surfaces, and as a snow foam pre-wash. Not suitable for Alcantara, open-pore leather, unprotected displays, polished aluminum without subsequent rinsing, and long dwell times on clear coat under direct sunlight.

The Teufels-Reiniger is an alkaline surfactant concentrate with a pH value of approximately 12 to 13, which chemically converts organic contaminants—such as grease, oil, nicotine film, body oils, pollen glue, and oil-based road grime—making them water-soluble. The active surfactant combination works in two ways: it saponifies fats through hydrolysis, while surface-active surfactants encapsulate the dissolved residues and keep them suspended in the wash solution. The crucial point is the variable dilution. Instead of a fixed mixing ratio, you decide, depending on the contamination, whether to use 1:50 for quick floor mat cleaning, 1:10 for a normal engine bay, or 1:5 to neat for stubborn oil and grease stains. One concentrate thus replaces five different ready-to-use cleaners.

• Variable dilution range from 1:50 to neat. Its efficiency makes Teufels-Reiniger economically attractive for workshops and frequent users. A 5-liter canister, when diluted 1:10, yields approximately 55 liters of ready-to-use solution, and over 250 liters when diluted 1:50. You only need to store one bottle instead of separate products for each application—saving shelf space, costs, and decision-making time at work.
• Dissolves grease and oil chemically, not mechanically. Unlike mechanical scrubbing methods, the alkaline chemistry of Teufels-Reiniger works without physical effort. Spray on, let it dwell, rinse off—in most cases, the dissolved dirt comes off with rinsing. This reduces micro-scratches on plastic and painted surfaces that would occur with scrubbing using a sponge.
• Applicable from engine bay to interior. Teufels-Reiniger works on engine blocks, plastic trim, wheel arch liners, door sills, floor mats, rubber coverings, and sealed dashboard plastics. The same chemistry, different dilutions—this flexibility replaces a collection of individual cleaners in the garage or workshop.

Detailing1 Pro Tip: Before each use, test on an inconspicuous area to ensure the material tolerates the alkaline chemistry—especially with older rubber seals, colored plastics, and untreated aluminum components. For the engine bay, always work on a hand-warm engine; never spray on hot surfaces. Otherwise, the solution will dry within seconds, leaving white alkali streaks that you will then have to wash off with clear water and a lot of patience. After each use, rinse thoroughly with clear water—alkaline residues on paint, polished aluminum, and chrome will leave dull grey hazes after drying, which can only be removed with polishing.

Dilute. Spray. Wipe.

Teufels-Reiniger works in three steps, which remain identical for every application: Prepare the ready-to-use solution, spray it onto the soiled area, and after a short dwell time, rinse or wipe off. The correct dilution is the only point where you need to be mindful.

For floor mats and light interior dirt, 1:50 is sufficient. This is 20 ml of concentrate per liter of warm water—mixed in an empty spray bottle, sprayed onto the mat, allowed to dwell for two minutes, worked with a brush or microfiber cloth, then rinsed with clear water. For rubber mats, rinsing alone is often enough. For normal engine bay use after a season, mix 1:10—i.e., 100 ml per liter. Spray onto the cold engine block, plastic covers, and wheel arch liners, let it dwell for three to five minutes, work into crevices with a detailing brush or a soft brush, then rinse with a low-pressure stream from a garden hose. You should cover electrical components, the fuse box, and alternator areas before spraying—the cleaner itself is not conductive, but rinsing with water can temporarily disrupt contact points and cause error messages in the control unit.

For the most stubborn cases—baked-on oil-grease mixtures on engine covers, encrusted floor mats after a winter with road salt and grime, bitumen splashes on wheel arch liners—use 1:5 or neat directly from the spray bottle. In these cases, the dwell time should be limited to a maximum of three minutes, and always work in the shade. Under direct sunlight, the solution will dry before it has fully worked, making cleaning more difficult than necessary. The Insekten-Teufel and Teufels-Reiniger in combination are also a common workflow: Insekten-Teufel for the front end, Teufels-Reiniger for the rest of the front section—both rinse each other off without issues.

Engine and Floor Mats Yes. Alcantara No.

Teufels-Reiniger's strength lies in its versatility, not its universality. It reliably dissolves organic contaminants but encounters definite limits: Alcantara and microfiber suede imitations do not tolerate alkaline cleaners; the fibers will mat and permanently lose their velvety surface structure. Premium leather with open-pore treatment will be leached and cracked—a pH-neutral leather cleaner should be used there, not an alkaline all-purpose product. Unprotected displays, touchscreens, and coated instrument clusters should only be treated with a slightly damp microfiber cloth without cleaner, as alkaline chemistry can permanently damage anti-reflective coatings.

Long-term use on polished aluminum without rinsing is also excluded. Polished aluminum, chrome, and colored anodized components react with strong alkalis and, after just a few minutes of dwell time without rinsing, develop dull spots or a milky haze that can only be removed with polishing paste. If you want to detail an engine bay with highly polished intake manifolds or chrome valve covers, you should use a diluted solution, limit the dwell time to under one minute, and then immediately rinse thoroughly with plenty of clear water. Teufels-Reiniger is not suitable as a wheel cleaner in the classic sense—for that, there's the Alu-Teufel Spezial Grün, which works with a lower pH and surfactants optimized for iron particles. And for delicate interior plastics, the Kunststoff-Teufel is the specialized alternative if you want to clean and condition simultaneously.

Another common application error is mixing with acidic cleaners in the same spray bottle or directly on the surface. Alkaline Teufels-Reiniger and acidic wheel cleaners chemically neutralize each other within seconds, completely losing their effectiveness. If you work on a wheel with Alu-Teufel Rot and then the wheel arch with Teufels-Reiniger, you must rinse thoroughly with clear water between the two steps—otherwise, the second product will work against the residues of the first, and you'll waste chemicals. The same mistake regularly occurs when cleaning transport vehicles with combined alkaline and acidic applications: always allow a thorough water break in between, and always work with the lower pH value first.

The All-Rounder for Workshops and Hobby Detailers

Teufels-Reiniger is the right choice for anyone who wants to cover the majority of cleaning tasks with a single cleaner. Typical areas of application include workshops, car detailers, club garages, and ambitious hobby detailers who regularly tackle various degrees of contamination—from weekly floor mat wipes to major spring engine bay washes after winter. The 5-liter container is the economical option for those who reach for an all-purpose cleaner several times a month, while the 1-liter spray bottle is the suitable size for individual vehicles and occasional use.

Teufels-Reiniger becomes particularly useful in combination with other TUGA products: as a pre-wash via a snow foam lance on a pressure washer for dirty transporters, as a cleaner for door jambs and entry areas before the actual hand wash, as a stain remover on textile floor mats, and as a degreaser in the engine bay before sealing. In a workshop environment, it often replaces three to four specialized cleaners, which quickly justifies the savings given a typical monthly consumption of ten to twenty liters of ready-to-use solution. If you're using Teufels-Reiniger for the first time, it's best to start with 1:20 as a medium dilution and adjust the dosage after the first results—too diluted and you'll notice a lack of cleaning power, too concentrated and you'll see white hazing after drying. A quick test on an inconspicuous area before major use will save you rework with polish later. A complete overview of all suitable all-purpose cleaners can be found in the All-Purpose Cleaners category.