Simple Green makes more than a dozen kinds of cleaners as of 2010. Each cleaning product has a unique formulation, but many of the products contain similar ingredients. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is by far the most common cleaner; it publishes its complete ingredient list online.
Water
Every Simple Green liquid product has water as its first ingredient. Even so, many Simple Green products are highly concentrated and should be diluted before use.
Butoxyethanol
The Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner government-mandated Material Safety Data Sheet states that butoxyethanol is the only ingredient for which United States government agencies have established recommended or required exposure limits. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set its limit to 50 ppm or less in the air, though the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends an exposure level of no more than 5 ppm. People exposed to 100 ppm or more for several hours reported respiratory irritation, headache, metallic taste or vomiting, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. It is not possible, with normal use of Simple Green, to meet or exceed safety levels, as the product contains less than 4 percent butoxyethanol and is meant to be diluted.
Mixed Alcohol Ethoxylate
Alcohol ethoxylates are nonionic surfactants used in detergents, cleaners and shampoos. A surfactant is an agent that lifts grease and oil away from the surface being cleaned.
Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate
Tetrapotassium pyrophosphate is used as an emulsifier in Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner. Normally a white powder, it is soluble in water. Emulsifiers mix together chemicals or elements that would normally not mix, such as oil and water. In Simple Green, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate dissolves grease, oil and dirt and suspends them in the cleaning liquid so they can be removed from the surface.
Sodium Citrate
Sodium citrate is a crystalline salt used mainly as an emulsifier. It is dissolved in Simple Green liquid cleaners and enhances the emulsifying abilities of tetrapotassium pyrophosphate.
Fragrance and Colorant
Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has a sassafras fragrance, as described on its Material Safety Data Sheet, and is colored green. Sunshine Makers, Inc., the producer of Simple Green cleaners, has not revealed the source of the colorant or fragrance.
References
- Simple Green: Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner
- Simple Green: Material Safety Data Sheet—Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Simple Green Scrubbing Pad
- ATSDR: Public Health Statement--2-Butoxyethanol and 2-Butoxyethanol Acetate
- Science in the Box: Ingredient Safety Information—Alcohol Ethoxylates (AE)
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate
Member Comments