WD-40 Multi-Use Product (11 oz Smart Straw aerosol)

Yes and no. The label and the brand call it a multi-use lubricant, but community consensus across home-repair and bike forums for the better part of a decade has been that WD-40 Original is much better as a water displacer and short-term penetrant than as a durable lubricant. The light aliphatic-hydrocarbon carrier evaporates quickly; the residual petroleum film keeps a hinge quiet for days to a couple of weeks under typical cycling, not months. For garage door tracks, bike chains, and high-cycle mechanisms, a dedicated lubricant (silicone spray, white lithium grease, or a wet/dry chain lube) holds up longer.

The DANGER signal word on the label is driven by three GHS hazard classifications in SDS Section 2: H222 (extremely flammable aerosol), H229 (gas under pressure, may explode if heated), and H304 (aspiration hazard — may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways). The first two are physical hazards — they address fire and pressure risk, which is why the can warns against open flames and storage above 120°F. H304 is specifically about the swallowing route: light hydrocarbon liquid entering the lungs during vomiting can cause chemical pneumonitis. Per SDS Section 11, the product is not classified as toxic by acute oral, dermal, or inhalation criteria. Do not induce vomiting if swallowed — seek medical attention.

It depends on which can you actually receive. The 11 oz Smart Straw formula whose Safety Data Sheet we score against (412 g/L VOC, not CARB-compliant) carries no Prop 65 warning — SDS Section 15 states verbatim: 'This product does not contain chemicals regulated under California Proposition 65,' and the SDS title page reads 'NOT FOR SALE IN CALIFORNIA.' That is the formula sold to most of the country. The Amazon listing for this ASIN, however, flags `proposition_65_warning: true` at the parent-listing level because the listing also covers California shipping addresses, where WD-40 substitutes a separate California-compliant low-VOC reformulation that carries a Prop 65 sticker on the can. So: California buyers may see a Prop 65 warning on the back of their actual can (different formula, different SDS), while buyers everywhere else receive the no-Prop-65 formula our health and environment scores are built on. Check the back of your specific can if it matters for your use case.

No. The Original formula is petroleum-only chemistry: aliphatic hydrocarbons, a petroleum base oil fraction, and carbon dioxide propellant. SDS Section 3 lists no fluorinated compounds and no PTFE particles. WD-40 keeps its PTFE and silicone variants in the Specialist line (WD-40 Specialist PTFE Lubricant, WD-40 Specialist Silicone Lubricant) rather than reformulating the Original.

The SDS does not document specific material incompatibilities, and the brand's literature claims broad surface compatibility. Community experience over decades is generally consistent with this for typical plastics (ABS, polypropylene, polyethylene) and most automotive rubber. There are scattered reports of prolonged contact swelling certain natural-rubber gaskets; if you are spraying onto a sealed assembly with rubber o-rings, check the manufacturer's compatibility guidance for that specific seal rather than assuming. For weatherstripping and EPDM, a dedicated silicone lubricant is a better choice — it is specifically formulated for rubber-safe use.