On May 22, 7:39 pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:

So if I read that correctly, plain water or sand blasting agents can
be called detergents?

Yes, depending on context. If you were discussing cleaning materials
to be ADDED TO water, then of course you wouldn't count the water
itself as a detergent. However, if you were comparing various
substances as cleaners, among them water, then you would count the
water as a detergent.

Then water is not a solvent, but a detergent? Kewl.

I never thought we'd get such mileage (Knottage?) out of a semantics
thread. Who said the water wouldn't ALSO be a solvent? If you were
using it to dissolve something, it would be a solvent. If you were
using it to dissolve something and thus wash it away, it would be a
solvent and a detergent. If you were to drink the rinse, it would be
a solvent, a detergent, and a beverage -- or at least A COMPONENT of a
beverage.

Robert