When I first got my bottle of Simply Wow Cleaner And Degreaser, I knew exactly what my first test of its usefulness would be. About a year ago, a metal canister containing bath beads was placed on the marble window sill over my bathtub. Unfortunately it sat there for a long time, and a rust stain appeared on the sill. I have tried many, many cleaning products with no success at all at removing that stain. I was just about ready to admit defeat and replace the sill when Simply Wow entered the picture. So - with no real high hopes, I grabbed my bottle of Simply Wow, and set off for the bathroom.

First I read the pamphlet that came with it, as well as the instructions on the bottle. Simply Wow is an all-purpose cleaner, designed to work on any washable surface. It can be used on carpets, clothing, walls, cars, etc. So I felt safe using it on the marble sill. According to the pamphlet, it can be used to remove many different kinds of stains - wine, marker, crayon, grease, etc. Unfortunately, rust is not one of the listed stains.

So after reading everything I could, I turned the nozzle from "off" to "spray" and coated the rust stain. While I was at it, I took a good sniff. It had a smell, but nothing too bad. No fumes, nothing offensive at all. Following the directions, I took my wet sponge and wiped. And... Nothing. The rust stain didn't budge. Well the directions say repeat, if necessary, so I tried it again. And, again, Nothing.

I was disappointed, but not ready to give up. I decided to give it another try, but this time I'd leave the cleaner sitting on the stain for a while, instead of wiping it immediately. This is NOT the way the manufacturer suggests using the product, but I had nothing to lose.

So I sprayed a generous amount of cleaner on the stain, and left it for 20 minutes or so. During the waiting time, I decided to put the cleaner through some other tests. The manufacturer claims it can remove nail polish, lipstick, and even permanent marker stains. I was pretty skeptical about these claims, especially the permanent marker (leading me wonder about the definition of "permanent" if a cleaner can remove it). But with nothing but time on my hands I decided to have some fun. I used all three of those items on a plastic cap. After letting them dry, I put Simply Wow to the test.

The Results: The lipstick wiped off immediately and completely. The permanent marker took some rubbing, but after a little elbow grease, was completely gone. So much for "permanent"! As for the nail polish, that took the most elbow grease of all, and three applications. But with a little patience, and a lot of rubbing, the stain was completely gone! I was now starting to feel a bit more hopeful about my rust stain on the window sill.

Times up! After 20 minutes, I headed back to the bathroom with my wet sponge and... Hey! The stain is a little bit lighter than before! Not completely gone, but definitely lighter! This is the first time I've had any success at all on this stain, so I was delighted with that small measure of success. Of course, I'm not ready to give up yet... after wiping down the sill, I sprayed Simply Wow again, and determined to leave it even longer this time.

Again, I had nothing but time on my hands while waiting to see what happens, so I set about some "ordinary" cleaning tasks. After all, I don't normally have to clean rust, nail polish, lipstick, or permanent marker. Let's see how it performs on the more mundane tasks. So - I cleaned my refrigerator door, my stove, some smudges on the walls, the stainless steel faucets, the kitchen cabinet doors, and a spot on my carpet. In all cases, Simply Wow performed well. Especially on the carpet stain!

I really liked the fact that although I didn't wear gloves, my fingers were not bothering me at all - even after all that cleaning. And, the house didn't smell like fumes and chemicals.

By the way, reading the bottle, the only ingredient listed is 2-Butoxyethanol. I didn't have a clue what that was. But researching it on the Internet, it does definitely have its side effects, presumably in higher concentrates than what's in this bottle. There are some pretty typical cautions and first aid instructions. And there's a phone number (877-529-4114) and a web address (www.simplywow.com) in case you have any questions.

Reading the pamphlet, there is one claim that I really have to question. The claim: "1 Bottle of Simply Wow makes approximately 40 bottles of the leading multi-purpose cleaner!" This makes no sense to me at all. It's not like the directions call for diluting this product with water. And I definitely did NOT use 1/40th the amount I would normally use. Using a link on their website, I have emailed them for clarification to this statement. If I receive an answer back, I will update this review.

======== UPDATE 12/14/05 ========

The customer service people were extremely responsive. They explained to me that the product can be diluted for various uses, up to 40 parts water. I responded back to explain my confusion since the bottle doesn't say anything about diluting. They responded immediately to say that some bottles come with tags tied around their necks to explain the dilution instructions. They kindly offered to send me a sample of the neck tag, which I received today. The directions are quite thorough - they list 47 different uses, divided into 4 suggested dilution ratios - full strength, 5 parts water to 1 part Wow, 15 parts, and 40 parts. This extra information clarifies the claim described above. But I still can not understand why they don't print this information on the bottle, so all consumers would see it. Perhaps that is something they'll change in the future - or maybe all bottles will be sold with the neck tags, even though my sample bottle did not have the tag.

======== end of update ========


So - about that rust stain - I'll bet you can't wait to hear the result... Well --- after many applications, and much scrubbing, the stain is much lighter than it was. It's not completely gone, but Simply Wow and I will keep working at it. Each time I've tried it, it has gotten lighter, so I think I will ultimately prevail.

My final thoughts: I like this product. Very much. It handles "ordinary" tasks quite well, without harsh fumes, and with no irritation to my skin. On very tough stains, it might take a few applications, and some scrubbing, but it will work. I can't tell you the price, as I received a 22 oz. bottle of this product from Source Direct Holdings, Inc. with the mutual understanding that I will post my honest opinion on Epinions.com.


Recommended: Yes