I've used ultrasonic cleaners in the past, and have a small one.
The interesting thing about water (don't laugh at me) is that it isn't "wet".
Usually, a few drops of soap (or possibly Simple Green cleanser) tend to "wet" water and take away the trapped bubbles. In other words, it tends to make the water "slippery" .... if that made any sense!
When I tattooed, I had a large Branson (big bux), and a bottle of additive. Water alone barely cleaned the tattoo guns, but a few cc's of additive, and you could see the colors actually explode off the needles and tubes. There is a lot of important info on the web about using US cleaners.
Yesterday, I tried my little US cleaner. I put in 3 drops of dishwashing liquid, then a large cup of scalding hot water, and cleaned some small items: my wedding band, some keys, a pair of hemostats - just a little experimental test to see how it performs. Results were mediocre - this little unit doesn't have anywhere near half the power of my old Branson, but it still DID do some cleaning.
I'm going to continue to experiment (but not with atomizers) and find the correct "wetting" agent.
Steve
(24 days - I love it!)