What is Selleys Original Sugar Soap, and where should you use it?

Selleys Original Sugar Soap is a professional strength, concentrated grease and grime cleaner that is safe to use on most washable surfaces without scratching. It is best known as the pre-paint cleaner — the step that gets dirty marks and old smoke stains off walls and ceilings before a roller goes anywhere near them — but the technical data sheet scopes it far wider than that, across kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, floors and outdoor gear.

The practical thing to know before you buy: it is concentrated and diluted in a bucket, and it is alkaline. Those two facts drive everything else on this page — the yield you get from a bottle, the surfaces you have to wipe it off quickly, and the eye protection you should be wearing.

Technical specification

Property	Typical result
Colour	Clear blue
Density	Approx. 1.13 g/mL
pH	Approx. 11
Packaging	Plastic bottle, 750 mL
Dilution yield	Makes up to 30 litres
Standard dilution	½ cup into ½ bucket (5 litres) of water

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

What the dilution and yield figures mean in practice

The standard mix is half a cup into half a bucket — five litres of water. Against the stated 30 litre yield, that means one 750 mL bottle gives you about six half-buckets of working solution. For most households that is a lot of wall.

Selleys explicitly tells you to dilute to suit the cleaning task, so the half-cup measure is a default rather than a rule. There are effectively three strengths available to you from the same bottle: a weaker mix for light general cleaning, the standard five-litre mix for normal work, and neat product for stubborn or in-ground marks, applied with a non-scratch scouring sponge or cloth.

The pH of approximately 11 is the number that explains the cautions. It puts the product firmly on the alkaline side, and that is the context both for the eye irritation warning and for the instruction to get it off aluminium and brass immediately rather than letting it sit.

One detail in the technical data sheet is easy to miss and genuinely useful: on walls, there is no need to rinse. On floors, baths and shower recesses, rinsing is mandatory. That is not an inconsistency — it reflects where residue matters. A rinse-free wall wash is a much faster job than most people expect.

Where to use it

The technical data sheet lists the applications by area:

• Walls — cleans and prepares for painting, removes dirty marks and smoke stains from walls and ceilings. No need to rinse.
• Floors — tile, slate, linoleum and polished concrete.
• Kitchen — tiles, benchtops, stoves, ovens, sinks, taps, shelves, appliances, range hoods, fridge, microwave ovens and cupboard doors.
• Bathroom — tiles, bathtubs, basins, toilets, showers, glass and mirrors (rinse well before the product dries).
• Laundry — tiles, sinks, and pre-soaking clothing (test an inconspicuous area for colourfastness first).
• Outdoor — BBQ, toys, sporting equipment, tools, engines, chrome and outdoor furniture.
• General — stainless steel, spot cleaning of fabrics, carpet and upholstery, and blinds (test for compatibility and colourfastness in an inconspicuous area).

Note how often the word "test" appears in that list. Every soft-furnishing and fabric application carries the same condition attached to it. That is the manufacturer drawing a line: hard washable surfaces are covered outright, fabrics are covered only if you have tested them.

How to apply it

1. Dilute for the job. For most jobs, add half a cup of Selleys Original Sugar Soap to half a bucket — five litres — of water.
2. Clean the area with a mop or cloth. Selleys nominates a Selleys Super Cloth as ideal.
3. Adjust the dilution to suit the cleaning task.
4. For stubborn or in-ground marks, use the product neat with a non-scratch scouring sponge or cloth — a Selleys Wash Up Wiz is ideal.
5. Rinse where rinsing is required — floors, baths and shower recesses must be rinsed well after use, and glass must be rinsed before the product dries. Walls do not need rinsing.

Limitations and cautions — read these before you start

• Wipe off immediately from aluminium and brass surfaces.
• Rinse well from glass before the product dries. That includes mirrors.
• Floors, baths and shower recesses must be rinsed well after use.
• Test an inconspicuous area for compatibility and colourfastness before using on clothing, carpet or upholstery.

The safety directions are equally explicit. The manufacturer's warning is that the product causes serious eye irritation. Keep it out of reach of children, avoid contact with skin and eyes, wear rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin, and wash your hands after use. If you do get it in your eyes, rinse thoroughly with water. Refer to the product Safety Data Sheet for full warnings, first aid and shipping information.

This matters more than usual with this product because of how it is used. Washing a ceiling means working above your head with a wet cloth, which is exactly the geometry that puts cleaner in your eyes. Eye protection is worth having on for overhead work even if you would not bother at bench height.

Storage

Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, out of direct sunlight, and away from foodstuffs. That last instruction is specific in the technical data sheet — the bottle does not belong in a pantry alongside food.

Hazard classification

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

• Serious eye damage/eye irritation — Category 1. H318: causes serious eye damage.

That is the only hazard class assigned. The product is 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.

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
Sodium carbonate	497-19-8	1–10%
Ingredients determined to be non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	90–99%

The Safety Data Sheet is a step more severe than the label wording quoted above, and the difference is worth knowing. The product warning reproduced in the safety directions on this page is "causes serious eye irritation". The Safety Data Sheet for this concentrate classifies it as Eye Damage Category 1 with the statement "causes serious eye damage", and states in its first aid section that the product can cause corneal burns. Those are two different rungs of the same ladder: irritation is expected to settle, Category 1 damage may not. Where the two differ, the Safety Data Sheet response is the one to follow — irrigate for 15 minutes with the eyelids held open and get urgent medical attention, rather than a rinse at the tap and carrying on.

Sodium carbonate is washing soda, and it is both the cleaner and the hazard. It is the only classified ingredient, at 1–10% of the bottle, and it is where the pH of approximately 11 quoted above comes from. Alkali saponifies grease — it converts it into something water can carry away — which is exactly why a sugar soap strips cooking film and smoke staining off a wall without an abrasive. The reason it does that to grease on a wall is the reason it must not be allowed to sit on an eye.

The classification belongs to the concentrate, not to the bucket. Half a cup in five litres is a much weaker solution than what is in the bottle. The two activities on this page that put you in contact with the concentrate itself are the ones to manage: measuring and pouring it, and the neat application with a non-scratch sponge that the directions allow for stubborn in-ground marks. Have eye protection on for both.

Overhead work is the other high-exposure moment, and this page already makes the point: washing a ceiling means a wet cloth above your head, which is the geometry that delivers cleaner to an upturned face. With a Category 1 eye hazard on the concentrate, that is not an optional precaution even when the solution in the bucket is dilute.

Protection

• Wear protective gloves and protective clothing, including eye and face protection (P280). Nitrile rubber gloves are suitable for intermittent contact; glove construction varies, so make your own assessment for longer work.
• Keep out of reach of children (P102), and read and follow all instructions on the label (P103).
• Avoid eye contact and repeated or prolonged skin contact. Do not eat, drink or smoke while using it, and wash your hands afterwards.
• Ventilation — natural ventilation is adequate under normal use conditions; use in a well-ventilated area.
• If medical advice is needed, have the container or label at hand (P101).

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Immediately irrigate 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. The label response statement is P310: immediately call a poison centre or doctor.
Skin	Remove contaminated clothing immediately and flush the skin and hair with running water. If swelling, redness, blistering or irritation follows, seek medical assistance.
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 Original Sugar Soap

How much do I dilute it?

Half a cup into half a bucket — five litres — of water for most jobs. Adjust the dilution to suit the task.

How much does one bottle make?

Up to 30 litres of diluted solution, which is around six half-buckets from the 750 mL bottle.

What size does it come in?

A 750 mL plastic bottle.

Do I need to rinse the walls after washing them?

No. The technical data sheet states there is no need to rinse walls. Floors, baths and shower recesses do need rinsing well after use.

Can I use it before painting?

Yes — cleaning and preparing walls for painting is one of its primary listed uses, and it removes dirty marks and smoke stains from walls and ceilings. If you want the full sequence, see how to prepare your walls for painting.

Can I use it neat?

Yes, on stubborn or in-ground marks, with a non-scratch scouring sponge or cloth.

Will it scratch the surface?

It is stated as safe to use on most washable surfaces without scratching. Any scratching risk comes from the scourer you pair it with, so keep to a non-scratch pad.

Can I use it on glass and mirrors?

Yes, but rinse it well from glass before the product dries.

Can I use it on aluminium or brass?

Wipe it off immediately from aluminium and brass surfaces. It is not intended to be left on those metals.

Can I use it on carpet or upholstery?

It is listed for spot cleaning fabrics, carpet and upholstery, but only after testing an inconspicuous area for compatibility and colourfastness.

Is it dangerous?

The manufacturer's warning is that it causes serious eye irritation. Keep it away from children, avoid skin and eye contact, use rubber gloves if your skin is sensitive, and wash your hands afterwards. Refer to the Safety Data Sheet.

Is there a version for small jobs?

For smaller areas or spot cleaning, Selleys' own tip is to use Selleys Super Kleen. For much larger jobs, Original Sugar Soap Super Concentrate makes up to 80 litres.

How should I store it?

In a cool, dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight, and away from foodstuffs.