ALL HAIL THE MSDS!

The Material Safety Data Sheet is a document required under OSHA for any chemical or chemical mixture that is used by employees. It will list the chemicals or chemical types in a product, tell you what hazards these would present, how to protect yourself and what treatment would be required if there is an accidental exposure. You can find an MSDS for most products on-line just by googling the product name and MSDS.

The MSDS is designed to let people know if they need gloves, respirators, dust masks, etc; always good info for the DIY. They also cut though a lot of advertising blarney. I found out that one product I was using was mostly washing soda. Another product advertised itself as "unique time tested-organic oil formula wood cleaner & treatment, that contains no silicone or wax. " Organic is good, right? check out the MSDS and this pops up:"Petroleum Process Oil and Naptha" In this case, organic is organic as in "organic chemistry".