Surclean 201 is a low foaming cleaner for plating/pre-treat applications and consists of a well-balanced silicate free mixture of cleaning salts, chelating agents and softeners. The use of the separate wetting agent, Surclean 204 and sodium hydroxide, makes it possible to compose a powerful range of special cleaning solutions. The system is particularly adapted to reel-to-reel plating, since it permits foam control in electro cleaners by correct dosage of the Surclean 204. It is also suitable for applications with heavy aeration and for magazine to magazine plating lines.