What's in my Quick n Brite? Quick n Brite Ingredients

In 2009, Seattle Times writer Erik Lacitis wrote a piece on Quick n Brite salespeople and the trade of being a "pitch man." (You can see the article here). In his article he called on professor Jeff Harwell, of the University of Oklahoma's School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, and an expert on cleaning formulations, to dissect the list of ingredients on our Quick 'n Brite container and explain what they actually do. Mr. Harwell did a fantastic job of thoroughly explaining the ingredients in terms everyone can understand! Harwell says, "It's a good formulation, a state of the art formulation," and states the ingredients have been around for a long time. Quick n Brite is non-toxic, biodegradable and contains no know carcinogens or harmful chemicals. Here is Mr. Harwell's explanation:

Biodegradable nonionic nonyl-phenoxy-polyethoxy-ethanol: "Common chemical called surfactant. Used in everything from toothpaste to dish-washing liquid. This particular surfactant has been around for 50 years and is generally considered to be both harmless and biodegradable. There has been some controversy in Europe about some of its biodegradation by-products having estrogen-mimicking properties, but research has not generally borne out those concerns. Surfactants help the cleaning solution wet oily surfaces, reduce the amount of force that you have to apply to detach the dirt from the surface being cleaned, and help keep the dirt suspended until it can be rinsed away. Surfactants are the main active ingredient in most cleaners, whether you're talking about laundry detergent, toothpaste, shampoo, and hand soap."

Sodium EDTA: "We call this a sequestering agent. It is a water-soluble salt that makes hard water act like soft water by complexing with the water hardness ions. It's kind of like having a built-in water softener in the product. Very safe material that is found in products like cosmetics and soft drinks and is used in foods as a preservative. This makes the surfactants work better."

Sodium tripolyphosphate: "Same function as the sodium EDTA, but having both is generally synergistic. Again a very safe compound used with products like seafood to prevent them from drying during storage and shipping. But again, the main purpose is to make the surfactants work better."

Water: "No comment necessary, I assume."

Pure natural coconut oil surfactant: "Probably a surfactant like sodium lauryl sulfate, which is made from coconut alcohol. Very common in toothpaste, laxatives, pharmaceutical formulations, cosmetics, hand and body soaps, etc. This is one of the oldest surfactants known and is accepted as generally safe. Many studies of the toxicity have shown no ill effects. This type of surfactant is also a salt and is classified as an anionic surfactant. The first surfactant listed, the nonionic nonyl-phenoxy-polyethoxy-ethanol, is classified as a nonionic surfactant. We generally find that mixtures of anionic and nonionic surfactants, such as you have here, give better cleaning results. They also allow the same cleaning system to work in over a wider range of cleaning temperatures, from cold water to hot water."

Natural kelp alginate: "A natural biopolymer that is used just as a thickener. If you've ever had a milkshake from a fast-food restaurant you've probably had some of this. It also helps keep small particles from being redeposited on a surface. It would be classified as an anti-redeposition agent. Bottom line is that it keeps the surface from becoming recontaminated from the wash solution!"

Dye: "Primarily just for aesthetic purposes, but actually helpful in giving you visual clues about how much dilution has occurred and whether there is any of the cleaning compound left on a surface after rinsing. Provides a good visual clue for when you're done rinsing."

We love being able to offer a cleaning product to families that we know is safe and works well. Quick n Brite has been family owned and operated since 1952 with the same non-toxic and biodegradable ingredients. Quick n Brite has also been backed with a 100% money back guarantee for over 60 years!