All-Purpose Cleaner by Simple Green

Carol C.
1 review
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Simple Green Facts

Rather than speculation or faulty science, it might be enlightening to check with the maker, Sunshine Makers, Inc. Our official response to those people that say that our product is bad, harmful, toxic, or infer that we are guilty of greenwashing, takes more than the 2000 word-limit given here. However, we address absolutely everything on our web site (http://www.simplegreen.com/solutions_faqs.php)

To clarify some things here:
We do not claim that Simple Green is natural. Natural does not equal safe. There are a great many poisons found in nature.

Simple Green does not contain Butane or Propane - those are non-CFC propellants for aerosols.

The toxicity of a mixture must be determined on the entire mixture - not on a small portion of it. Salt is made of two elements -sodium and chlorine- (and in some cases iodine) that are toxic to humans in their separate forms. Toxicity is also dose-dependent. Ingestion of large amounts of salt in a short time (about 1 g per kg of body weight) can be fatal. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt) The EGBE (ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, aka "butyl", aka 2-butoxyethanol, aka Butyl Cellosolve) found in Simple Green is there in very small quantity (less than 5% by wt. in concentrate) and the mixture as a whole has been tested by independent laboratories and certified to be non-toxic by oral LD50 testing, reproductive tox-testing, aquatic tox-testing, acute ocular, acute dermal, & acute inhalation tox-tests plus more.

Factual data is available on our product and its component chemicals.
References:
*Simple Green Arsenal of Tests - available upon request via www.simplegreen.com - click on Contact Us at lower right corner.
*Glycol Ethers Panel web site, specifically info about EGBE:(http://www.egep.org/glycol_ethers_update.htm)
*Information about the delisting of EBGE from the EPA's Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) list:(http://www.egep.org/epa_removes_egbe.htm)

Carol Chapin
Sr Director, R&D
Sunshine Makers,Inc

Carol's keywords: Simple Green EGBE 2-butoxyethanol non-toxic

Liz A.
11 reviews
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Did they remove the Butyl Cellosolve?

Just smell the product and you have to wonder how it can be natural and safe!

Checking the Household Products Database shows this product cantains Butyl Cellosolve, which is linked to reproductive harm; can cause irritation and tissue damage from inhalation; exposure for 15 minutes while cleaning shower, could inhale 3x the acute exposure limit; and there is exposure through the skin.

The link for this is: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=19006020. This link shows it also contains Butane and Propane.

How can that be safe?

Liz's keywords: Butyl Cellosolve Household Products Data Base

Eric S.
1 review
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Not so green

Simple green irritates my throat quite a bit whenever I use it. I finally did a little research and it's not so green. This is green-washing folks!

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/greenwashed-by-simple-green-ask-annie.html

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.valdezlink.com%2Finipol%2Fpages%2Fsolvents.htm&ei=WOt4SdjzB6Gbtwfslq2yDg&usg=AFQjCNGyB6YSji0xI_Gm4SOY04qAbfxSbA&sig2=snRCvICC-bkqDFOk8pWD-Q

Eric's keywords: green-washing

Richard E.
2 reviews
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Cleans well - but be warned

Simple Green only qualifies as non-toxic in its dilute state. The primary ingredient, 2-butoxyethanol is toxic in its concentrated form.
It does clean very well, especially as the concentrate, and is biodegradable, as claimed. However, if you are looking for a household cleaner that is formulated with low-toxicity ingredients, look for third-party certification, such as EPA's Design for the Environment recognition (see http://www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/formulat/formpartc.htm#ccleaners for a list of certified products), Green Seal, or one of the many international certifications.

Richard's keywords: green cleaner certification biodegradable

Karl B.
1 review
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Simple Green is not non-toxic

Simple Green has done a wonderful job of marketing their product as green and eco-friendly. In fact it is biodegradable and relatively eco-friendly, but not as human friendly as you might think. Simple Green contains a toxic ingredient called 2-butoxyethanol - this can be found on the products material safety data sheet, which lists ingredients. This chemical is moderately toxic to red blood cells, the liver, kidney and central nervous system. This chemical can be absorbed readily through your skin, which is the greatest concern since your skin actually acts as a barrier to most chemicals, but not this one. My source for this information is the National Library of Medicine's Hazardous Substances Database.
Don't be fooled into thinking that this product is non-toxic. If you do want to continue using it, be sure to wear protective gloves, ensure adequate ventilation during use, and do not let your children have access to it.

Karl's keywords: Simple Green toxic review butoxyethanol

Michael B.
1 review
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IMAGINE MY SURPRISE THAT SOME ONE WOULD THINK THIS STUFF IS SAFE!

I banished it from my house when I got rid of all conventional cleaners and replaced them with natural supplies ie: white vinegar (it really cleans everything).
IMAGINE MY SURPRISE THAT SOME ONE WOULD THINK THIS STUFF IS SAFE!
Read and identify the ingredients!

Abendigo R.
285 reviews
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Check out Simple Green's FAQs

Not only is this a great product that won't harm your children or your animals (how many all-purpose cleaners or disinfectants can you say that about?), used on everything from airplanes to microwaves to bikes, but they're also an upstanding company. I recommend checking out their FAQs on their website, where you may get some excellent ideas:

http://industrial.simplegreen.com/ind_faqs.php

It's been tested by the likes of OSHA and is recommended by the EPA because of its biodegradability. I also learned that it's actually a great carbon remover, I don't know what that means, but I think it's interesting. :)

Abendigo's keywords: simple green spray disinfectant multiple uses cleaner epa osha

Stephanie H.
1 review
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Pretty good!

I've used this cleaner for a couple years, it goes a long way because it's concentrated, it's cheap AND it is biodegradable and non-toxic, pretty tough to beat. It works really well for cleaning food messes off my stove top and I also use it for floors and regular counter tops. I don't love the smell but at least it's not too strong and everything else about it is great!

Stephanie's keywords: concentrated floor cleaner countertops kitchen

Jenn A.
378 reviews
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Simple Green *is* green

A friend encouraged me to use Simple Green to get rid of a recent ant invasion -- plain water and vinegar wasn't working. I was surprised to read on the bottle that it is biodegradable and the formula is pretty green, so happily bought some. Short of training my cat to eat the ants (he eats spiders and flies!), Simple Green has been the most effective way to wipe out the ants' chemical trails and keep them out of my kitchen.

Jenn's keywords: household cleaners biodegradable

Adam W.
209 reviews
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Awesome!

I used this product for the last 4 years, but recently banished it from my house when i got rid of all conventional cleaners and replaced them with more natural stuff like white vinegar (it really cleans everything). Imagine my surprise to read all of the great reviews below about how it is biodegradable and non-toxic! It really was a great cleaning product and i sorely miss it when it comes to really tough grease - I am going to re-add this to my cleaning supply cabinet the first chance i get!

Adam's keywords: non toxic cleaner grease

Kelly B.
22 reviews
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swell

I like the refill bottle and the fact that you get to decide how concentrated it is. The smell is also nice.

Kelly's keywords: cleaning product household

Chiyo C.
15 reviews
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Viva la Gravity Bar! and Simple Green for keeping it clean!

There used to be the best organic vegetarian cafe/juice bar in Seattle called Gravity Bar Restaurant and I used to work there. Sadly, it closed a couple of years ago, and many of us were left confused and disheartened. But this is another story. I am here to review Simple Green. Simple Green is the cleaning agent we used at Gravity Bar. It worked beautifully and safely. If you can imagine that Simple Green worked effectively to clean our countertops, ovens, tables and chairs, sinks and floors, you know that Simple Green is no ordinary natural cleaning product. It's powers are not limited to household cleaning, but can transform a restaurant at the end of a busy day into sparkling clean metallic surfaces. GREAT product.

Chiyo's keywords: cleaning product cleaner simple green

Elizabeth D.
1 review
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Simple Green

I use this to get the limescale out of my hot tub filter cleaner instead of the conventional toxic stuff

Elizabeth's keywords: cleaning products

Sara B.
8 reviews
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It really does clean everything and it's non-toxic

I use this cleaner on pretty much everything as a replacement for 409 which I used before. Apparently the Navy even used this (or a knock-off formula) as a multi-purpose cleaner from everything to brushing teeth to de-greasing engines. I found that this is the paint removing product, even over the standard paint remover products so I always use it for when I paint.

Sara's keywords: all-purpose cleaner household cleaner pine cleaner cleaner multi-purpose cleaner

Pamela B.
7 reviews
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Great Houshold cleaner

Simple Green has been around for years providing a safe, biodegradeable and environmentally friendly cleaner. It still is safe and effective at cleaning and cutting grease. I especially like to use it on my floors and in the bathroom.

Pamela's keywords: safe biodegradeable cleaner

Karen W.
1 review
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Review of Simple Green It is a versatile product that really cleans well. I can use it at full strength along with a micro fiber mop and it cleans the kitchen floor so brightly without a lot of muscle. The supposed down side to it is that I've recently heard that it is not as non-toxic as I've believed, so when I am finished with my current supply, I intend to switch to a safer product. I'll also see what I can do with old-fashioned baking soda and vinegar.

Karen's keywords: clean clean

Dominique J.
1 review
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I have been using..

I have been using the above for a long time and love it because it is non-toxic, cleans everything adequately, doesn't have a strong smell like most cleaning products (on which I usually choke) and doesn't contain any bleach, alcohol or ammonia.

Dominique's keywords: non-toxic multi-purpose cleaner

Janine R.
1 review
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Simple Green

This natural cleanser not only cuts through grime and dirt on your counters, but can be used in the wash as well. It is 100% biodegradable and earth friendly. I use it in my kitchen, bathroom, and even on my floors.

Janine's keywords: household cleaners

Michele K.
1 review
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This Stuff is Awesome

We work at a nature center where we have to wipe down tables every day. Instead of using bleach to kill germs, we use a diluted version of Simple Green to sanitize and it's great! The only drawback is its potent smell.

Michael C.
1 review
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Simple Green is just that

Good stuff at cutting food grease on plates and pots and pans without being environmentally dangerous.

Michael's keywords: dish soap Simple Green