Sugar soap, as typically found in

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

countries, is a

cleaning Cleaning is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment. Cleaning is often performed for beauty, aesthetic, hygiene, hygienic, Function (engineering), function ...

material of variable composition sold for use on surfaces affected by greasy or tarry deposits which are not easily removed with routine domestic cleaning materials. Its name arises from the fact that, when in dry powder form, it resembles

table sugar White sugar, also called table sugar, granulated sugar, or regular sugar, is a commonly used type of sugar, made either of beet sugar or cane sugar, which has undergone a refining process. It is nearly pure sucrose. Description The refining ...

. The solution is

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

and its uses include cleaning paintwork in preparation for repainting.

Country-specific information

United Kingdom

Many brands of sugar soap are freely available for domestic use in the UK, being commonly sold for preparing surfaces for redecoration, stripping certain types of wallpaper, removing accumulations of grease in kitchens or removal of tar deposits caused by tobacco-smoking; products are supplied in powder to be diluted before use or liquid form to be brushed or sprayed. The precise ingredients and their proportions (and, consequently, what hazards, if any, are associated) vary between manufacturers and suppliers but are now generally found listed in the

Material Safety Data Sheet A safety data sheet (SDS), material safety data sheet (MSDS), or product safety data sheet (PSDS) is a document that lists information relating to occupational safety and health for the use of various substances and products. SDSs are a wide ...

s found on manufacturers' and suppliers' web sites. The alkali component is normally

sodium carbonate Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash, sal soda, and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water ...

or less commonly

sodium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions . Sodium hydroxide is a highly corrosive base (chemistry), ...

at a concentration of a few percent and an organic solvent and an abrasive agent are normally the other functional ingredients, as well as colouring and water.

North America

The comparable cleaning product in Canada and the US is

trisodium phosphate Trisodium phosphate (TSP) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a white, granular or crystalline solid, highly soluble in water, producing an alkaline solution. TSP is used as a cleaning agent, builder, lubricant, food addi ...

, also known as "TSP". However, due to environmental concerns about the impact of

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

on lakes and streams, products labeled TSP may not actually contain any trisodium phosphate. "Sugar Soap" in the US is generally a cosmetic product. If sugar is actually used in the product it helps the natural soap to generate more lather.

France and The Netherlands

A comparable product in France and The Netherlands is sold under the brand name St Marc. It is branded by

Reckitt Benckiser Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, currently branded as Reckitt, formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, United Kingdom. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition prod ...

and its formula is a derivative of a resin soap made from

terpene Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n ≥ 2. Terpenes are major biosynthetic building blocks. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predomi ...

. The ingredients listed in the safety data sheet include >30%

Australia and New Zealand

Comparable products in Australia and New Zealand are sold under the brand name Selleys and XL. The chemical compositions listed in their safety data sheets include Sodium carbonate, Sodium lauryl ether sulfate, Sodium tripolyphosphate, and Potassium Hydroxide.

References

{{reflist Soaps Painting materials