Comet (cleanser)
| Product type | Household cleaner |
|---|---|
| Owner | KIK Custom Products Inc. |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1956 |
| Previous owners | Procter & Gamble, Prestige Brands |
| Website | cometcleaner |
Comet is a brand of scouring powders and other household cleaning products manufactured by KIK Custom Products Inc. The brand was introduced in 1956 by Procter & Gamble (P&G) and sold to Prestige Brands in 2001.[1] In 2018, Prestige Brands sold the Comet brand to KIK Custom Products Inc.[2][3] P&G retained the rights to market the brand in Europe and to the professional market (non-home-consumer) in the United States.
Ingredients
According to the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) published by Procter & Gamble for "PGP Comet Deoderizing Cleanser with Chlorinol"[4] and Prestige Brands for "Comet Powdered Cleanser", Comet cleanser contains 60–100% calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
Ingredients common to all Prestige Brands Comet Powdered Cleansers are listed as:[5]
- Calcium carbonate - Scrubbing agent
- Calcium hydroxide - pH adjuster
- Fragrance - Smell
- Green 7 - Colorant (except in "Comet Lemon Powder")
- Sodium carbonate - Builder/sequestering agent
- Sodium linear alkylbenzenesulfonate surfactant - Cleaning agent
- Trichloro-s-triazinetrione - Bleach
- Trichloroisocyanuric acid (Symclosene)[6] – Disinfectant
The P&G Professional Comet MSDS details percentages of the major component chemicals:
- Calcium carbonate: 60-100%
- Sodium carbonate: 7-13%
- Calcium hydroxide: 1-5%
- Sodium dichloro-s triazinetrione dihydrate: 1-5%
(Note: Not all ingredients are listed on an MSDS.)
Warnings
Mixing cleaning products containing bleach or other oxygenates (such as Comet) with products that contain ammonia or acid is dangerous. The P&G Comet MSDS specifically warns to: "Avoid contact with acids and ammonia."
Despite being labeled as "scratch free", the label for Comet cleanser also advises the use of plenty of water on "delicate surfaces". Comet powdered cleanser is not recommended for use on silver, painted surfaces, walls, soft plastic, aluminum, and rubber.
Parodies
- In 1969, The Wacky Packages series included a mock ad, drafted by Art Spiegelman and painted by Tom Sutton, depicting a flag-waving American Revolutionary soldier and a pair of club-wielding policemen chasing a group of hippies carrying picket signs inscribed "For Freedom!" and "Love! Not War!", with a prominent slogan, "Keep America Clean with Commie Cleanser" and a can, depicting a caricature of Uncle Sam, and inscribed, "Extra Strong Commie Cleanser" and "Gets Rid of Reds, Pinkos, Hippies, Yippies & Flippies". The mock ad has also appeared depicting the can alone.[7]
- A children's song about Comet is sung to the tune of the Colonel Bogey March.[8] It rhymes "Comet" with "vomit." The complete lyrics are:
- Comet, it makes your teeth turn green
- Comet, it tastes like gasoline
- Comet, it makes you vomit,
- So get some Comet, and vomit today!
An alternative version uses different first lines:
- Comet, it tastes like gasoline
- Comet, it makes your insides clean
or
- Comet, it makes your toilet clean
- Comet, it makes your teeth turn green
- The song "Rip Her to Shreds" by the American rock/new wave band Blondie mentions Comet:[citation needed]
- She got the nerve to tell me she's not on it
- But her expression is too serene
- Yeah, she looks like she washes with Comet
- Always looking to create a scene
See also
References
- ^ "Prestige Brands International Inc. acquires Comet". Progressive Grocer. October 2, 2001. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Inc, Prestige Brands Holdings (2 July 2018). "Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. Announces Strategic Sale of Household Cleaning Business". GlobeNewswire News Room.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Exhibit". www.sec.gov.
- ^ Procter and Gamble Professional MSDS Archived 2015-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Comet Brands Website". cometcleaner.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
- ^ "Safety Data Sheet". Retrieved December 22, 2016.
- ^ "Topps Wacky Ads Series: Commie Cleanser #30 - long perf". www.wackypackages.org.
- ^ MacDonald, Ann-Marie (2003). The Way the Crow Flies. HarperCollins. p. 97. ISBN 0-06-058637-0.