Simple Green
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simple Green is a brand of cleaning agents manufactured by Sunshine Makers, Inc. This article refers to Simple Green's concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner
For North American consumers, the most recognized product in the line of approximately 25 Simple Green products is a concentrated all-purpose cleaner and degreaser.
The concentrated cleaner is an all purpose cleaner and degreaser used diluted in water for direct, spray, and dip tank applications. Depending on the application, the label recommends a dilution with water of anywhere from 1:1 to 1:10. It is a translucent dark green, water-based liquid with a unique sassafras scent and an alkaline pH. A yellow, lemon-scented version was later introduced.
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[edit] History
Simple Green was developed over three years in the 1970s by Bruce FaBrizio and his father as an industrial cleaner. The pair wanted to create a safer alternative to the toxic cleaners originally designed to remove tannic acid, a by-product of coffee roasting, from roasting machinery. In the beginning, Bruce then sold Simple Green to industrial customers in 55-gallon drums for use as a cleaner on equipment and floors.
Despite his father's death in 1979, Bruce kept their business running, and in 1981, he named it "Sunshine Makers, Inc." Simple Green was then introduced nationally into several new markets including hardware/Do It Yourself, consumer grocery & drug, GSA (government) and industrial classes of trade.
[edit] Warnings and Safety
Simple Green should not be used on the following surfaces:
- Plastic instrument panels
- Leather
- Suede
- Unfinished wood
- Opals
- Pearls
- Chrome
According to its MSDS, Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner is non-flammable, non-toxic, non-mutagenic, and non-carcenogenic and biodegradable. It is a mild irritant to eyes and mucous membranes, and to those with sensitive skin. None of the ingredients in Simple Green® are regulated or listed as potential cancer agents by any of these organizations: OSHA, NTP, or IARC.
According to its MSDS, Simple Green hand cleaner Gel had the following Special Hazard Precautions: Acute: Eyes: Reddening may develop Skin: Some animal studies have claerly shown dose-related adverse effects on the CNS, the blood forming tissues, the blood, the kidneys and the liver associated with the administaration of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether.
[edit] Trivia
- Simple Green is used to clean wildlife affected by the slick from oil spills.
- The sassafras scent is added to the cleaner as a perfume and is synthetic.
- A portion of all net sales from Simple Green products funds the EGBAR (Everything's Gonna Be All Right) Foundation, which was created by Bruce FaBrizio to promote environmental awareness in educational curricula.
- Chrome plating can be stripped from an object by immersing it in Simple Green for a few days.
- Simple Green is an excellent means for hobbyists to strip paint off of models.
- Simple Green is deadly to brine shrimp at a concentration of around 10%.
- The "green" in the name refers to its color, not to any environmental movement sense of the word.
[edit] Applications
- Simple Green can be used to deodorize laundry. Add 1/4 cup to a wash, and it will get the smell of week old cat urine out of clothes without damaging color or fabric. Depending on fabric, this may take 1-3 washes, with heavier fabrics being more difficult to de-scent.
[edit] External links
- Simple Green US Website
- Simple Green UK Website
- Simple Green Concentrate MSDS (PDF)
- Chart of Suggested Dilution Ratios for various cleaning applications (PDF)
