What is Selleys Complete Clean Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner, and where should you use it?

Selleys Complete Clean Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner is a household grade disinfectant floor cleaner that kills 99.9% of germs — S. aureus and E. coli — and powers through tough dirt. It is a concentrate supplied in a 750mL bottle, it carries a fresh pine fragrance, and it is suitable for vinyl, ceramic tiles and polished wood.

The key thing to understand before you use it is that it has two different dilutions for two different jobs. General cleaning uses 125mL in 5L of water. Disinfecting uses the same 125mL in half that much water — 2.5L — and requires a 10-minute wait before mopping. Getting these the wrong way round means either wasting product or failing to disinfect.

Technical specification

Property	Typical result
Colour	Green
Density	~1.02g/mL
pH	8.5–9.5
Fragrance	Pine
Classification	Household grade disinfectant
Germ kill claim	99.9% of germs (S. aureus and E. coli)
General cleaning dilution	125mL (½ cup) in 5L of water
Disinfecting dilution	125mL (½ cup) in 2.5L of water, left 10 minutes
Packaging	750mL plastic bottle

Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.

What the dilution rates mean in practice

The disinfecting mix is twice the strength of the general cleaning mix. Same 125mL of product, half the water. That is the whole difference, and it is a deliberate one: a disinfection claim depends on the concentration of the solution on the floor as well as on the time it stays there.

The 10-minute wait applies only to disinfecting. For general cleaning you apply the diluted solution to the floor and wipe it off. For disinfecting you apply it and leave it for ten minutes before mopping. If you mop it up straight away, you have washed the floor at double strength rather than disinfected it.

A 750mL bottle holds six 125mL doses. That is six general-cleaning buckets of 5L, or six disinfecting buckets of 2.5L. Knowing that makes it easy to judge how long a bottle will last against how often you mop, and it makes clear that measuring the half cup is worth doing — free-pouring is how a bottle disappears in three washes.

The pH sits between 8.5 and 9.5, which is a mild alkaline range, and the one stated surface limitation follows below.

Choosing the right mix for the job

The two dilutions answer two different questions, and it is worth deciding which one you are answering before you fill the bucket.

Are you washing the floor? Use 125mL in 5L. Apply it to the floor and wipe it off. This is the everyday mix, and the larger bucket means the solution goes further across a big area.

Are you disinfecting the floor? Use 125mL in 2.5L, apply it, and leave it for ten minutes before mopping. The smaller bucket is not a mistake or an economy — it is what makes the solution twice as strong. Because 2.5L covers less floor than 5L, a disinfecting pass over a large area may need a second bucket made up the same way, rather than the same bucket topped up with water, which would take the concentration back down.

Is it one stubborn mark rather than a whole floor? Then no bucket at all: apply the product undiluted onto a damp cloth, wipe the surface, and rinse the surface clean immediately.

Where to use it

• Vinyl
• Ceramic tiles
• Polished wood

Polished wood is on the list; unsealed timber is not. That distinction is the single most important thing to check before you mop a wooden floor with this product, and if you are not certain which you have, treat it as unsealed until you know.

How to use it

1. Sweep or vacuum the floor before using. Mopping over loose grit drags it across the surface rather than lifting it.
2. For general cleaning: dilute 125mL (half a cup) in 5L of water, apply to the floor and wipe off.
3. For disinfecting: dilute 125mL (half a cup) in 2.5L of water, apply to the floor and leave for 10 minutes before mopping.
4. For stubborn dirt and grime: apply undiluted onto a damp cloth and wipe the surface, then rinse the surface clean immediately.

Do not mix the product with other ingredients.

The undiluted method is for spot treatment, not for the whole floor, and the word "immediately" in that step is the condition attached to it. Neat product left sitting on a floor is not what any of the directions describe.

Limitations — where it should NOT be used

• Not recommended for unsealed timber.
• Hard surface disinfectant only. Not for use on skin.
• Do not mix with other ingredients.

Safety directions

• Keep out of reach of children.
• Read carefully and follow all instructions.
• Wear protective gloves and clothing including eye and face protection.
• If in eyes, hold the eyes open, flood with water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor.
• If skin contact occurs, remove contaminated clothing and wash the skin thoroughly. If irritation occurs, seek medical assistance.

Warnings, first aid and shipping information are on the product's Safety Data Sheet, available through the Selleys website.

Storage

Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight, away from foodstuffs and away from sources of heat or ignition. Keep the container standing upright and closed when not in use, and check regularly for leaks. A concentrate bottle stored on its side in a laundry cupboard is the one that seeps.

Hazard classification

Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Danger.

• Skin corrosion/irritation — Category 2. H315: causes skin irritation.
• Serious eye damage/eye irritation — Category 1. H318: causes serious eye damage.

Not classified as Dangerous Goods by the criteria of the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail or New Zealand NZS 5433, nor under the IMDG Code for sea transport or the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations for air.

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
Benzalkonium chloride	68424-85-1	1–10%
D-Glucose, decyl octyl ethers, oligomeric	68515-73-1	1–10%
Ingredients determined to be non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

Eye damage Category 1 is the top of the eye scale, and it is not the same thing as stinging. Category 1 means damage that may not fully reverse — the Safety Data Sheet says plainly that the product can cause corneal burns. That is the reason behind the safety direction already given above: hold the eyes open, flood with water for at least 15 minutes, and see a doctor. Fifteen minutes is a long time to stand at a tap, and the classification is why the number is that large rather than a token rinse.

The classification belongs to the concentrate in the bottle, not to the bucket. Every dilution on this page — 125mL in 5L for general cleaning, 125mL in 2.5L for disinfecting — takes the concentrate to a small fraction of its neat strength. The moments that actually carry the hazard are the ones where neat product is in your hands: measuring the half cup, pouring it, and the undiluted spot-cleaning method. Those are the moments to have gloves and eye protection on, and they are short enough that doing so costs nothing.

Benzalkonium chloride is the disinfectant. It is a quaternary ammonium surfactant, and it is the component doing the work behind the 99.9% germ kill claim against S. aureus and E. coli. Quaternary ammonium compounds as a chemical class are also the ingredients that most commonly drive the eye-damage and skin-irritation classifications in household disinfectant cleaners, so it is reasonable to read the hazard and the disinfecting performance as two sides of the same ingredient — though the Safety Data Sheet does not attribute the classification to any single component.

This also gives a concrete reason for the instruction that this is a hard surface disinfectant only and not for use on skin. A skin irritation classification on the neat concentrate is exactly what that line is protecting against.

Protection

• Eye protection — safety glasses. This is the one that matters most with a Category 1 eye hazard.
• Gloves — nitrile rubber is suitable for intermittent contact. Glove construction varies, so make your own final assessment for prolonged work.
• Clothing — overalls and safety shoes when handling the concentrate; wash contaminated clothing before reuse.
• Ventilation — natural ventilation is adequate under normal use conditions. Safe Work Australia has not assigned an occupational exposure standard for this material.
• Wash hands before eating, drinking or smoking.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Irrigate immediately with copious quantities of water for 15 minutes, holding the eyelids open. Remove contaminated clothing and wash the skin. Urgently seek medical assistance and transport to a hospital or medical centre — the product can cause corneal burns.
Skin	Remove contaminated clothing immediately and flush skin and hair with running water. Continue flushing until advised to stop by the Poisons Information Centre or a doctor, or for 15 minutes, then transport to a doctor or hospital.
Inhalation	Remove the person from exposure without becoming a casualty yourself. Loosen clothing, let them rest in the most comfortable position, and keep them warm. Seek medical advice if effects persist.
Swallowed	Rinse the mouth with water. Do not induce vomiting. Give a glass of water to drink. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. If vomiting occurs, give further water and seek medical advice.

If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand — with the container to hand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.

Common questions about Selleys Complete Clean Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner

How much do I put in a bucket, and what is the difference between the two mixes?

125mL — half a cup — in 5L of water for general cleaning, or the same 125mL in 2.5L of water for disinfecting. The disinfecting mix is twice as strong because it uses the same amount of product in half the water, and it also needs a 10-minute wait before mopping.

How long do I leave it to disinfect?

10 minutes, then mop.

Do I have to sweep first?

Yes. Sweep or vacuum the floor before using. It is the first step in the directions, and it is the one that decides whether you are lifting dirt off the floor or pushing it around in solution.

Can I just use the disinfecting mix all the time?

You can make either mix, but the disinfecting mix treats half the floor area per bucket, and the step after its 10-minute wait is mopping — Selleys publishes no separate rinse instruction for the diluted product. The "rinse immediately" instruction belongs to the undiluted spot-cleaning method.

Which floors can I use it on?

Vinyl, ceramic tiles and polished wood. Unsealed timber is not recommended, so if you cannot establish whether floorboards are sealed, treat them as unsealed.

What do I do about a stubborn mark?

Apply the product undiluted onto a damp cloth, wipe the surface, and rinse the surface clean immediately.

What germs does the 99.9% claim cover?

S. aureus and E. coli.

How many buckets will a bottle do?

Six, at 125mL per bucket from a 750mL bottle.

Can I mix it with another floor cleaner or with bleach?

No. Do not mix it with other ingredients.

Do I need gloves?

Selleys' safety directions call for protective gloves and clothing including eye and face protection. It is a hard surface disinfectant only and is not for use on skin.

What size is the bottle, and what does it smell like?

A 750mL plastic bottle. The concentrate is green, with a fresh pine fragrance.

What should I use on benchtops and splashbacks?

Complete Clean Multi Purpose Spray is the ready-to-use trigger product for hard non-porous surfaces in kitchens, bathrooms and laundries. Its exclusion list is longer than this product's, so read that page before using it on stone or aluminium. The rest of the range sits under multi purpose cleaners.