If you have ever wondered what is actually in the bottle, the answer is not hidden. Advanage publishes a safety data sheet for every formula, and this guide walks through one, section by section, so you can read it for yourself. We use the Lavender sheet as our example, and the same ingredients, hazard classification, and ratings apply across the line. By the end, you will know what each ingredient does, what the numbers mean, and how to use the concentrate safely.
A Safety Data Sheet in 60 Seconds
A safety data sheet, or SDS, is a standardized document that tells you what is in a chemical product and how to handle it. Under federal rules, manufacturers provide one for each hazardous chemical product in a consistent 16-section format, which OSHA covers in its hazard communication resources. Employers who stock hazardous chemicals keep these sheets where workers can reach them, which is why businesses ask for them before buying. If that is you, our guide to buying a commercial degreaser in bulk covers what to look for.
An SDS is not a label and not a marketing page. It is written for handlers, so it tends to describe the concentrate, the bottle as it ships, before you dilute it.
The Three Ingredients, and the Job Each One Does
|
Ingredient |
Share of the concentrate |
What it is |
Its job in the formula |
|
Undeceth-7 |
1 to 5% |
A nonionic surfactant |
Loosens oily soil from surfaces so it can be lifted and rinsed away |
|
Sodium carbonate |
1 to 5% |
An alkaline salt, often called washing soda |
Raises alkalinity, which helps break down fats and oils |
|
Tetrasodium EDTA |
about 1.5% |
A chelating agent |
Binds the minerals in hard water so the cleaning ingredients keep working |
The sheet itemizes the ingredients it is required to disclose. Components that do not need to be itemized, such as the fragrance and color that distinguish each scent, are not individually listed. Advanage also describes a proprietary Emulsion Agent in its formula, which breaks down the surface tension between oil and water so grease lifts away completely instead of smearing or staying behind.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sorts cleaning ingredients into functional classes, such as surfactants, solvents, and chelating agents, on its Safer Chemical Ingredients List. Two of those classes, surfactants and chelating agents, are exactly what the SDS shows here, alongside an alkaline builder: a surfactant to loosen soil, a builder to help cut it, and a chelating agent to keep hard water from getting in the way.
Phosphate-Free, in Plain English
None of the disclosed ingredients is a phosphate, which is what "phosphate-free" means on the box. Phosphates were once common in cleaning products, and many states now limit phosphorus in household cleaners, so the claim is becoming a baseline more than a rarity. Our explainer on what phosphate-free and biodegradable claims actually mean goes deeper, including how to read other brands' labels.
Reading the Whole Sheet: All 16 Sections
Here is what each section says, using the Lavender sheet as the example.
|
Section |
What it covers |
What the Lavender sheet shows |
|
1. Identification |
Product name, use, supplier |
Product code 1037, a cleansing product, supplied by Advanage Diversified Products Inc., with a phone number and an emergency line |
|
2. Hazards |
Classification and label elements |
Serious eye irritation, Category 2, with the signal word "Warning" and standard precautions: wash after handling, wear gloves and eye protection, rinse eyes if contact occurs |
|
3. Composition |
What is in it |
Undeceth-7, sodium carbonate and tetrasodium EDTA, with the ranges above |
|
4. First aid |
What to do if something happens |
Eyes: rinse with plenty of water for 15 minutes. Skin: wash with plenty of water. Swallowed: seek medical advice, show the container, and do not induce vomiting |
|
5. Fire-fighting |
Fire and explosion hazards |
Non-flammable, with no direct explosion hazard |
|
6. Accidental release |
Spill cleanup |
Absorb the spill with an inert material and keep it out of drains and waterways |
|
7. Handling and storage |
Safe use and storage |
Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Keep the container closed, cool, dry,y and ventilated. Keep away from oxidizing agents |
|
8. Exposure controls |
Protective equipment |
Safety glasses and gloves |
|
9. Physical properties |
What it looks and acts like |
A purple liquid with a floral odor and a pH of 11 |
|
10. Stability |
Reactivity |
Stable and non-reactive under normal conditions of use, storage, and transport |
|
11. Toxicology |
Health effects |
Not classified for acute toxicity by mouth, skin or inhalation, and not classified for skin irritation, sensitization, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity or reproductive toxicity. Eye irritation is the one effect listed |
|
12. Ecology |
Environmental data |
Ingredient-level data on aquatic toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation |
|
13. Disposal |
How to dispose |
In line with official regulations |
|
14. Transport |
Shipping classification |
Not regulated by the Department of Transportation |
|
15. Regulatory |
Federal and state listings |
All components are listed on, or excluded from, the Toxic Substances Control Act inventory, and the product contains no substances known to California to cause cancer or reproductive harm under Proposition 65 |
|
16. Other |
Revision date and ratings |
Hazard ratings of Health 1, Flammability 0, and Physical 0, with personal protection B, meaning safety glasses and gloves |
The three numbers in Section 16 are the quick read. Health 1 means a slight hazard, with irritation possible. Flammability 0 and Physical 0 mean the product will not burn and is stable.
What pH 11 Means
The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with 7 neutral and higher numbers more alkaline. ADVANAGE 20X's concentrate has a pH of 11, largely thanks to the sodium carbonate. That alkalinity is part of why it handles grease, and it is also why Section 8 recommends gloves and eye protection for the undiluted product.
Once you dilute it, you are working with a much less concentrated solution. Advanage's starter mix is about 1 ounce of concentrate in a 20-ounce spray bottle filled with water, and its Lavender product page suggests 1 to 2 ounces to 18 to 19 ounces of warm water.
Where to Find All Four Sheets
Each scent has its own sheet, and the four are the same in every disclosed ingredient. Lavender is linked above, and here are the others: Citrus, Green Apple, and Clear/Odorless. The first-aid and spill sections are worth a quick read before you open your first bottle.
Using the Concentrate Safely at Home
A few habits cover almost everything the sheet recommends. Pour the concentrate away from your face, and wear glasses or goggles and gloves when you do. Dilute it according to Advanage's instructions before you spray. Wash your hands after handling it. Keep the bottle closed, cool,l and dry, away from children, and never mix it with bleach or other oxidizing cleaners. For families, our guide to the best kid- and pet-safe all-purpose cleaner covers the household side in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ADVANAGE 20X safe?
Used as directed, yes, and families use it around children and pets. The rules that matter are the ones in the handling sections: dilute before you spray, wear eye protection when you pour the concentrate, and keep it away from bleach. If concentrate gets in your eyes, rinse with water for 15 minutes and get medical advice if irritation persists. If someone swallows it, get medical advice right away and show the container.
What is ADVANAGE 20X Lavender?
It is the lavender-scented formula of Advanage's ultra-concentrated Wonder Cleaner. Advanage describes it as ideal for people who want a lingering, gentle lavender scent, gentle enough for fine fabrics yet strong enough for difficult stains. A quart is $39.95 and includes a free mixing applicator while gift stock lasts. It shares the same disclosed ingredients as the other scents.
What is the Wonder Cleaner made of?
It is a water-based concentrate built on a nonionic surfactant, an alkaline builder, er and a chelating agent, plus Advanage's proprietary Emulsion Agent and, in the scented versions, fragrance and color. Advanage Diversified Products, Inc. makes it in Illinois, and one quart yields twenty quarts of ready-to-use cleaner.
What are the 5 major chemical cleaning agents?
Foodservice training usually names four cleaning agents, which are detergents, solvent cleaners (degreasers), acid cleaners, and abrasive cleaners, with New Mexico State University's food safety materials adding sanitizers as the step that follows cleaning, which makes five. University extension guides count more ingredient families, including alkalies, bleaches, and solvents, as the University of Idaho's cleaning products guide shows. ADVANAGE 20X is a detergent-type cleaner: a surfactant working with an alkaline builder.
A Company That Publishes Its Paperwork
ADVANAGE has made the Wonder Cleaner since 1980 and publishes a safety data sheet for every formula, so you can read the details before you buy. If you have a question the sheet does not answer, you can contact Advanage directly.
Ready to try it? Shop ADVANAGE 20X and keep the SDS Sheets page handy for all four formulas.
