CarCareTruth Score
Mediocre, but wear gloves and ventilate.
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Prices may varyThe manufacturer's Safety Data Sheet classifies this product with one or more GHS Category 1 health hazards — the most severe tier. The hazard statements in quotes below are the verbatim GHS language from the SDS, as required by OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard. The line under each statement translates the GHS classification into plain language.
GHS Category 1 eye damage — classified as causing irreversible eye damage on contact.
If swallowed, inhaled, or splashed in eyes:
Call Poison Control immediately at 1-800-222-1222 (US, 24/7, free) and have the product container with you. Poison Control's standing guidance is to not induce vomiting after chemical exposure; they will direct first-aid steps based on the specific product.
About this product's hazards. This product's Safety Data Sheet uses signal word danger. Read the manufacturer's SDS and follow all safety instructions before use. CarCareTruth ratings translate the manufacturer's safety sheet. They do not replace the SDS or substitute for a hazard assessment specific to your task.
Health score is for adult use as intended, per the manufacturer's SDS. It does not model child ingestion, accidental spill cleanup, or off-label use. See the safety panel below for full hazard classification, and /disclaimer for the full editorial scope.
GHS hazard codes are quoted from the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet. PPE tiers below translate those codes and the listed ingredient chemistry; they are not CarCareTruth recommendations.
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From the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet, Section 8
“H318 (serious eye damage, Cat 1) in SDS §2; the classification means contact can cause irreversible eye burns. Tight-sealing safety goggles are directed by SDS §8 for this classification.”
— Greased Lightning
U.S. regulatory standard
29 CFR 1910.133(a)(1); 1910.151(c)
“The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards from… liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids…”
ANSI Z87.1 (chemical splash protection — incorporated via §1910.6)
OSHA standards apply to workplaces. Cited here as the U.S. reference threshold for the underlying hazard class.
CarCareTruth publishes the cited sources verbatim and does not advise what action a user should take. Consult the full SDS before use.
From the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet, Section 8
“H315 (skin irritation, Cat 2) in SDS §2, and an undiluted pH of 12.5 to 13.0 that defats and burns skin on contact. SDS §8 directs rubber gloves; nitrile addresses the H315 classification and the caustic pH.”
— Greased Lightning
U.S. regulatory standard
29 CFR 1910.138(a)
“appropriate hand protection when employees' hands are exposed to hazards such as those from… chemicals which produce an adverse effect on the skin or eyes…”
OSHA standards apply to workplaces. Cited here as the U.S. reference threshold for the underlying hazard class.
CarCareTruth publishes the cited sources verbatim and does not advise what action a user should take. Consult the full SDS before use.
From the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet, Section 8
“No inhalation H-codes (H334/H335/H331) in the SDS §2 mixture classification, and VOC content is about 2 g/L. The enclosed_space trigger captures trigger-spray mist concentrating at face height when used in a closed garage.”
— Greased Lightning
CarCareTruth publishes the cited sources verbatim and does not advise what action a user should take. Consult the full SDS before use.
No PPE specified in published sources for ventilation. Absence does not imply “not needed” — consult the full Safety Data Sheet.
PPE tiers translate the manufacturer’s SDS and U.S. regulatory standards. Not professional safety advice. How we report safety.
This product ranks #10 of 11 in Engine Degreaser.Three above it ↓
Last reviewed July 6, 2026
TL;DR A ready-to-use, high-alkaline household degreaser that cuts grease well, but it is a general cleaner pressed into engine-bay duty, not a purpose-built one. The DANGER signal word reflects a serious-eye-damage (Category 1) classification, so tight-sealing goggles and gloves are what the SDS directs. The real catch for engine work: the label bans aluminum and painted, varnished, or acrylic surfaces, both everywhere in a modern engine bay.
This is an alkaline-based, ready-to-use trigger spray built for the toughest household grease (cooktops, garage floors, grills) and it cuts that kind of soil well. There is no dilution ratio to manage: spray it on, let it work, rinse or wipe off. For engine-bay use the limitation is not cutting power but where you can point it. The back-of-bottle directions rule out aluminum and painted, varnished, or acrylic surfaces, a large share of a modern engine bay, from bare alloy brackets to painted valve covers and clear-coated trim. Used carefully on rated parts and rinsed promptly it works; used bay-wide, it risks etching or discoloring the surfaces the label warns against.
The right pick for someone who already keeps it around for household and garage-floor grease and wants to spot-clean greasy, non-aluminum, unpainted engine-bay hardware. It is genuinely capable on grease. Skip it for a full engine-bay detail: the aluminum and painted-surface restrictions make it hard to use safely across a whole engine compartment, and a rubber- and metal-safe automotive degreaser is a better match. Anyone avoiding DANGER-rated chemistry should look to a milder biodegradable option.
The SDS carries a DANGER signal word from a Category 1 serious-eye-damage classification (H318) and a Category 2 skin-irritation classification (H315); it is also corrosive to metals. Undiluted pH is 12.5 to 13.0, which is why those classifications are real and why SDS §8 directs tight-sealing goggles and rubber gloves. VOC content is very low (about 2 g/L). Section 15 discloses two California Prop 65-listed substances at trace levels, below the bottle-warning threshold but real enough to reflect in the score. The product rinses to drain; SDS Section 12 notes toxicity to aquatic life with long-lasting effects and it ships as a marine pollutant, so keep rinse water out of storm drains where possible.
With real caution. It cuts grease well, but the back-of-bottle label explicitly bans use on aluminum and on painted, varnished, or acrylic surfaces, and a modern engine bay is full of both bare aluminum and painted covers. Keep it off those materials, spray only the parts it is rated for, and rinse thoroughly. For whole-engine-bay work a rubber- and metal-safe automotive degreaser is a better fit.
The multi-surface trigger bottle is sold ready-to-use: spray on, then rinse or wipe off. The label gives no dilution ratio for general cleaning, so it is scored at full label strength. That full-strength high-alkaline chemistry (pH 12.5 to 13.0) is why gloves and eye protection matter.
Its SDS classifies it as causing serious eye damage (Category 1) and skin irritation (Category 2), which drives the DANGER signal word. The eye-damage classification means splashes can cause irreversible burns, so tight-sealing goggles and gloves are what the SDS directs, not optional caution.
The label does not restrict rubber or most plastics, but its DO NOT USE ON list bans painted, varnished, or acrylic surfaces, leather, aluminum in any form (plain, anodized, or alloy), laminated or clear-coated surfaces, and wood. Because a lot of engine-bay hardware is aluminum, painted, or clear-coated, test any surface in an inconspicuous spot first and rinse promptly.
Its SDS Section 15 discloses two Prop 65-listed substances present at trace levels: spent sulfuric acid (a carcinogen listing) at about 0.03% and sulfur dioxide (a developmental listing) at about 0.002%. Both sit below the level that triggers a consumer warning on the bottle, but the disclosure is real and is reflected in the health score.
Marketing copy from Greased Lightning, via Amazon. Not editorial.
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