Mr. Muscle
Encyclopedia
Mr. Muscle is a brand of hard surface cleaner
s. It has been manufactured by S. C. Johnson & Son
, since their purchase of Drackett
from Bristol-Myers in 1992. The original product was developed at Drackett in 1986.
Oven cleaners at the time were pretty much all the same as Reckitt & Colman's Easy-Off, the leading brand. A strong base such as caustic soda attacked grease by saponification
. Surfactants attacked both grease and food spills. An abrasive may be present to help scour the oven. The product worked better if the oven was hot, and working in a fairly close space with hot oven cleaner fumes was unpleasant, to say the least.
Appliance manufacturers offered continuous-clean ovens, which had a special coating. Consumers, however, discovered these overs were rarely cleaned by the process. Additionally, supplemental use of chemical cleaners destroyed the special coating that enabled continuous-clean to function. Manufacturers next offered self-cleaning ovens, which allows the oven to run at a special high-temperature setting, effectively burning food residue into a carbon deposit. Early self-cleaning ovens weren't thoroughly satisfactory. At worst, they left carbon stuck to the oven surfaces. At best, they left carbon residue on the oven floor.
Industry legend has it that Drackett researchers, while trying to find a cold oven cleaner, found that ammonia
would plasticize food spills, making them easier to remove. However, this took hours - and ammonia would evaporate in that time. Looking for a less volatile chemical with the general characteristics of ammonia, they found that monoethanolamine
had similar properties.
MEA is a weak base, so it required the addition of caustic soda as well as surfactants and bentonite as an abrasive. Like most household cleaning aerosols, the propellant is a blend of propane
and isobutane
. Because the product required significant time to work properly, it was marketed as an overnight oven cleaner.
The product quickly grew to be the second best-selling oven cleaner. The product's popularity was limited by the strong fumes it created, as well as the length of time required to thoroughly clean. Consumers were not thrilled at the prospect of awakening in the morning to the task of wiping chemicals, carbon and grease out of their ovens. There was no official website for Mr. Muscle, suggesting that S. C. Johnson wasn't excited at growth potential of the product. However, there is now one available for the public to view.
The UK study by the Welsh Regional Burns and Plastics Unit, Chepstow, Gwent, UK, found:
The US Department of Health and Human Sevices (HHS.gov), which lists household product information for heatlth and safety, lists the Health & Effects information taken from the Mr Muscle product label and/or the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) prepared by the product manufacturer. Mr Muscle is rated as a scale 3-(serious) for Health Rating and a 4-(severe) for flammability. (This was using the established HMIS, Hazardous Materials Identification System.)
Star Wars
actor Gerald Home
was the original Mr. Muscle in a long-running series of commercials on British TV, which were also shown throughout Europe and in Australia and New Zealand.
The logo for the well known brand has a hidden icon, if you look closely at the letter U for Mr Muscle its shaped like a curved arm with a contracted biceps.
In 1998 former theatre de complicite actor Phil Gunderson took over the role as SC Johnson sought to create a unified global image. Adverts were filmed for a whole spectrum of countries, worldwide, with filming in South Africa, Bulgaria, Poland, The Philippines, UK and Netherlands. The principal director for these ads was Greg Francois and the creative director was Pete Cayless working from FCB London. A new direction for the advert was launched in September 2008 with an animated superhero figure. This led the commercial away from its previously humour based content in line with other commercials such as cillit bang and flash. Several Facebook
sites were launched in protest to 'bring back the old mr muscle'. The company has now gone for a cartoon Mr. Muscle who is actually strong and muscular, not a weedy character played by an actor who is ironically called Mr. Muscle.
Hard surface cleaner
Hard surface cleaners is a category of cleaning agents comprising mainly aqueous solutions of specialty chemicals that vary with the amount of dirt and the surface being cleaned.-All-purpose cleaners:...
s. It has been manufactured by S. C. Johnson & Son
S. C. Johnson & Son
S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. , previously known as S. C. Johnson Wax , is a privately held, global manufacturer of household cleaning supplies and other consumer chemicals based in Racine, Wisconsin. It has operations in 72 countries and its brands are sold in over 110...
, since their purchase of Drackett
Drackett
The Drackett Company was a leading company in the specialty chemicals business during the 20th century, responsible for such products as Windex glass cleaner, Vanish toilet bowl cleaner, Drāno drain opener, Behold furniture polish, Endust dusting aid, Renuzit air freshener, Mr. Muscle oven...
from Bristol-Myers in 1992. The original product was developed at Drackett in 1986.
Oven cleaners at the time were pretty much all the same as Reckitt & Colman's Easy-Off, the leading brand. A strong base such as caustic soda attacked grease by saponification
Saponification
Saponification is a process that produces soap, usually from fats and lye. In technical terms, saponification involves base hydrolysis of triglycerides, which are esters of fatty acids, to form the sodium salt of a carboxylate. In addition to soap, such traditional saponification processes...
. Surfactants attacked both grease and food spills. An abrasive may be present to help scour the oven. The product worked better if the oven was hot, and working in a fairly close space with hot oven cleaner fumes was unpleasant, to say the least.
Appliance manufacturers offered continuous-clean ovens, which had a special coating. Consumers, however, discovered these overs were rarely cleaned by the process. Additionally, supplemental use of chemical cleaners destroyed the special coating that enabled continuous-clean to function. Manufacturers next offered self-cleaning ovens, which allows the oven to run at a special high-temperature setting, effectively burning food residue into a carbon deposit. Early self-cleaning ovens weren't thoroughly satisfactory. At worst, they left carbon stuck to the oven surfaces. At best, they left carbon residue on the oven floor.
Industry legend has it that Drackett researchers, while trying to find a cold oven cleaner, found that ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
would plasticize food spills, making them easier to remove. However, this took hours - and ammonia would evaporate in that time. Looking for a less volatile chemical with the general characteristics of ammonia, they found that monoethanolamine
Ethanolamine
Ethanolamine, also called 2-aminoethanol or monoethanolamine , is an organic chemical compound that is both a primary amine and a primary alcohol . Like other amines, monoethanolamine acts as a weak base...
had similar properties.
MEA is a weak base, so it required the addition of caustic soda as well as surfactants and bentonite as an abrasive. Like most household cleaning aerosols, the propellant is a blend of propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
and isobutane
Isobutane
Isobutane, also known as methylpropane, is an isomer of butane. It is the simplest alkane with a tertiary carbon. Concerns with depletion of the ozone layer by freon gases have led to increased use of isobutane as a gas for refrigeration systems, especially in domestic refrigerators and freezers,...
. Because the product required significant time to work properly, it was marketed as an overnight oven cleaner.
The product quickly grew to be the second best-selling oven cleaner. The product's popularity was limited by the strong fumes it created, as well as the length of time required to thoroughly clean. Consumers were not thrilled at the prospect of awakening in the morning to the task of wiping chemicals, carbon and grease out of their ovens. There was no official website for Mr. Muscle, suggesting that S. C. Johnson wasn't excited at growth potential of the product. However, there is now one available for the public to view.
Controversy
In 1994 there was some controversy regarding Mr Muscle after complaints over the potency of the cleaning agents within the product, which were thought to be unnecessarily high and of a level that could lead to potential health problems.The UK study by the Welsh Regional Burns and Plastics Unit, Chepstow, Gwent, UK, found:
The US Department of Health and Human Sevices (HHS.gov), which lists household product information for heatlth and safety, lists the Health & Effects information taken from the Mr Muscle product label and/or the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) prepared by the product manufacturer. Mr Muscle is rated as a scale 3-(serious) for Health Rating and a 4-(severe) for flammability. (This was using the established HMIS, Hazardous Materials Identification System.)
Trivia
Chemist Gary Bush, who led Draclett's product development of Mr. Muscle at the time, used the handle of Mr. Muscle during the CB radio craze of the 1980s. In September 2006 they changed the Mr. Muscle from the famous man to another new actor due to a pay dispute.Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
actor Gerald Home
Gerald Home
Gerald Home is the actor who played Tessek-Squid Head and the Mon Calamari Officer in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.-Early life:...
was the original Mr. Muscle in a long-running series of commercials on British TV, which were also shown throughout Europe and in Australia and New Zealand.
The logo for the well known brand has a hidden icon, if you look closely at the letter U for Mr Muscle its shaped like a curved arm with a contracted biceps.
In 1998 former theatre de complicite actor Phil Gunderson took over the role as SC Johnson sought to create a unified global image. Adverts were filmed for a whole spectrum of countries, worldwide, with filming in South Africa, Bulgaria, Poland, The Philippines, UK and Netherlands. The principal director for these ads was Greg Francois and the creative director was Pete Cayless working from FCB London. A new direction for the advert was launched in September 2008 with an animated superhero figure. This led the commercial away from its previously humour based content in line with other commercials such as cillit bang and flash. Several Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
sites were launched in protest to 'bring back the old mr muscle'. The company has now gone for a cartoon Mr. Muscle who is actually strong and muscular, not a weedy character played by an actor who is ironically called Mr. Muscle.