What was Selleys Super Kleen, and what should you know about it now?

This product has been discontinued. That is the first thing to know, because it changes what this page is useful for. If you are looking to buy it, you cannot; if you have a bottle in the cupboard and want to know what it is safe to use it on, the information below is Selleys' own. To speak to the Help & Advice team about a replacement, call 1300 555 205 and select Option 2, or start a live chat during business hours.

Selleys Super Kleen was a ready-to-use multi-surface cleaner in a 750 mL trigger spray, containing Sugar Soap and formulated with what Selleys described as a powerful anti-bacterial formula that leaves surfaces hygienically clean. It was aimed at spot cleaning and at most washable surfaces around kitchens, bathrooms and the rest of the home, and was also positioned for spring cleaning and as a pre-paint surface preparation cleaner.

What set it apart from the rest of the Sugar Soap range

The defining feature was the format. The other Sugar Soap products are concentrates that you dilute in a bucket; Super Kleen came ready to use in a trigger spray, so the working sequence was spray, wipe, done. That is why Selleys consistently pointed at it for spot cleaning and at the liquid Sugar Soap products for larger areas including walls and floors, and for stubborn ground-in stains.

Selleys also claimed the formula minimises streaking, on the reasoning that less elbow grease is needed to reach a shiny finish. On glass, appliance fronts and stove tops — surfaces where streaks are the actual failure mode rather than dirt — that was the practical selling point.

Where it was used

• Kitchen — benchtops, stove tops, tiles, shelves, range hoods, floors, microwave ovens, fridge and cupboard doors.
• Bathroom and laundry — tiles, bath tub, basin, toilet, shower, floors, glass (rinse well) and cabinets.
• Walls — cleans and prepares walls for painting and wallpapering, with no need to rinse. Removes crayon and dirty hand marks, and old smoke stains.
• Outdoor — BBQs, driveways, engines, chrome, tools, sporting equipment, toys, glass (rinse well), outdoor furniture and entertaining areas.
• General — appliances, windows and glass (rinse well), blinds and ceiling fans.

Glass appears three times in that list, and every time it carries the same instruction: rinse well. That is the pattern to carry across from the rest of the Sugar Soap range — the product is meant to be removed from glass rather than allowed to dry on it.

How it was used

1. Test first. Always test a small inconspicuous area for compatibility and colourfastness before cleaning the visible surface.
2. Spray the surface directly from the trigger pack — no dilution was required.
3. Wipe it away with a cloth. Selleys nominated a Selleys Super Cloth as ideal.
4. For marks that need more work, use it with a safe scouring cloth — a Selleys Wash Up Wiz is ideal.
5. Rinse glass well after cleaning.

Limitations — where it should NOT be used

• Not suitable for use on clear plastics. This is an outright exclusion, not a caution.
• Wipe off immediately from aluminium, brass and painted surfaces. The product was not intended to sit on any of those.
• Always test a small inconspicuous area for compatibility and colourfastness before use.

Worth noting: the source material both lists walls as a use — including preparing painted walls, with no rinsing needed — and instructs you to wipe the product off painted surfaces immediately. The conservative reading, and the one to follow, is the stricter of the two: work in small sections and wipe as you go rather than leaving the cleaner sitting on paint.

Hazard classification

This page notes that no technical data sheet is published for Super Kleen, but a Safety Data Sheet does exist for it — filed under the name Super Kleen Multi-Purpose, with the synonym "Selleys Super Kleen Multi-surface Spray 750mL", supplied by Selleys, a division of DuluxGroup (Australia) Pty Ltd. If you still have a bottle in the cupboard, this is what it says.

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

• Skin corrosion/irritation — Category 2. H315: causes skin irritation.
• Serious eye damage/eye irritation — Category 2A. H319: causes serious eye irritation.

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
Benzalkonium chloride	68424-85-1	<1%
Ethanol, 2-amino- (monoethanolamine)	141-43-5	<1%
Ingredients determined to be non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

The composition answers the open question further down this page about the anti-bacterial claim. Benzalkonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium biocide — the same disinfecting ingredient Selleys uses in its Complete Clean floor cleaner and in Sugar Soap for Floors with Disinfectant. Its presence here, at under one percent, is the basis for the "powerful anti-bacterial formula" description. It does not tell you what organisms were tested or to what standard, and no such claim is published for this product, but it does establish that the claim rested on a recognised biocide rather than on the sugar soap alkalinity alone.

Monoethanolamine is an alkaline amine, and it is the component whose chemical class is most consistent with the instruction already on this page to wipe the product off aluminium, brass and painted surfaces immediately. Alkaline solutions attack aluminium and brass, and amines soften some paint films. The Safety Data Sheet does not give this as the reason for the limitation, but it fits it.

If you are choosing a replacement, note that the substitutes named above are classified more severely, not less. Super Kleen was signal word Warning, with Category 2 skin irritation and Category 2A eye irritation. Sugar Soap Original is signal word Danger, with Eye Damage Category 1 and the statement "causes serious eye damage". That is the price of moving from a ready-to-use spray to a concentrate: the same chemistry arrives in a stronger bottle. Anyone switching should put on eye protection for the mixing step even if they never wore any with Super Kleen.

The skin classification is also worth taking seriously on a trigger spray, because a trigger spray is the format people use bare-handed. Category 2 means irritation from contact — not a one-off accident but the cumulative effect of a cleaner sitting on your hands through a spring clean.

Protection

• Gloves — nitrile rubber for intermittent contact. Glove construction varies, so make your own final assessment for longer work.
• Eye protection — chemical goggles.
• Clothing — overalls and safety shoes; wash contaminated clothing and protective equipment before storing or reusing.
• Ventilation — maintain adequate ventilation; natural ventilation is typically sufficient under normal use conditions. Avoid inhaling vapour or mist.
• Wash hands before smoking, eating, drinking or using the toilet.
• Storage — a cool, dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight, away from foodstuffs, incompatible materials and sources of heat or ignition. Keep the container upright and closed, and check it for leaks — which matters more for a bottle that has been in a cupboard for years than for a new one.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Hold the eyelids apart and flush the eyes continuously with running water. Continue flushing until advised to stop by the Poisons Information Centre or a doctor, or for at least 15 minutes, then transport to a doctor or hospital.
Skin	Remove contaminated clothing immediately and flush the 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. Remove contaminated clothing and loosen the rest. Let them rest in the most comfortable position and keep them warm until fully recovered. 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. 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 Super Kleen

Can I still buy it?

No. The product has been discontinued. Selleys directs enquiries to its Help & Advice team on 1300 555 205, Option 2, or to live chat during business hours.

What should I use instead?

Selleys' own guidance pointed to its liquid Sugar Soap products for larger areas including walls and floors, and for stubborn ground-in stains. The current range includes Sugar Soap Original and Original Sugar Soap Super Concentrate. For a like-for-like ready-to-use format, contact the Help & Advice team on the number above rather than assuming a substitute.

Did it need diluting?

No. It was a ready-to-use trigger spray.

What size did it come in?

A 750 mL trigger spray.

Could it be used on plastics?

Not on clear plastics — that was a stated exclusion.

Could it be used on aluminium or brass?

Only if wiped off immediately. It was not meant to be left on those metals.

Did walls need rinsing after cleaning?

The stated instruction for walls was that no rinsing is needed. Glass, however, always needed rinsing well.

Could it be used before painting?

Yes — cleaning and preparing walls for painting and wallpapering was one of its listed uses, and it was described as removing crayon marks, dirty hand marks and old smoke stains.

Was it anti-bacterial?

Selleys described the formula as anti-bacterial, leaving surfaces hygienically clean. No further detail on that claim is published in the product's page content, and no technical data sheet is published for this product.

Would it scratch surfaces?

It was described as safe for use on most washable surfaces without scratching. Pair it only with a non-scratch scouring cloth.