Review: Meguiar`s Safe D-Greaser

**Mikeyc** · 03-13-2006, 12:54 PM

Manufacturer`s Product Description:
Today`s vehicles utilize a variety of specialized materials, which is why Meguiar`s Safe D-Grease has been specially formaulted to reduce the possibility of staining exterior surfaces. Designed to quickly break down grease and grime on engines, tires and fender wells, Safe D-Greaser is ideally suited for today`s fast paced, high volume shops.

Price: $14.95 (PAC) for 1 gallon

Packaging Info:
I bought the 1 gallon size container pictured above. The container is very akward to pour from especially when full. A good deal of the product would run down the side of the bottle during pouring even though a funnel was used. So, I added an anti-freeze bottle spout from Pep Boys ($2.99) as I do with all my large bottles. This prevented any further spillage and gives me better control over the amount of liquid being poured. Megs Detailer products are also available in 5 gallon containers.

Color/Scent:
Safe D-Greaser is bright yellow and has a very "clean" smell. I wouldn`t necessarily describe the smell as pleasant, but it`s not really offensive either. I`ve definitely worked with degreasers that smell much, much worse.

How I used it:
The Safe D-Greaser was diluted 5:1 in a 32 oz. spray bottle bought from Lowe`s. I used the cleaner on tires, wheel wells, the engine bay, and plastic/rubber trim along the bottom edge of the car. I basically sprayed the cleaner on, let it dwell for a minute or so, and then scrubbed with a plastic bristled brush, toothbrush, or brass bristled brush (tires only) if possible. Finally, the area was rinsed thoroughly with water from a garden hose.

Thoughts:
I really liked Safe D-Greaser. As the manufacturer claims it did not turn rubber or plastic parts grey/white and was a very effective cleaner/degreaser. In fact, I found that well cared for rubber/plastic treated with the Safe D-Greaser maintained its look even after cleaning. These pieces were still dark black and glossy despite being degreased. Safe D-Greaser really excelled in every area of the car I used it on. I particularly felt it was great for black rubber/plastic pieces along the bottom of the car`s body. Safe D-Greaser did an awesome job cleaning all these pieces and gave them a nice black look.

Safe D-Greaser is also extremely economical. 1 concentrated gallon is about $15 and diluting at 5:1 should stretch out the gallon container quite a bit.

I also have the Megs APC from the detailer line, but after using both a few times I feel that the Safe D-Greaser is a more effective cleaner in the dirtiest areas of the car which is where I have been using it.

Here are some pictures of a recent engine detail I did last Friday with Safe D-Greaser and CD2 Engine Detailer.

Before:

After:

**chml17l** · 03-13-2006, 12:57 PM

Thanks for the review Mike. Would you consider the Safe D-greaser safe for diluted use on carpets or interiors?

**budman3** · 03-13-2006, 01:30 PM

What can you compare this product to? How well does it clean tires? What other products have you used as degreasers? Thanks for the review

**MrRogue** · 03-13-2006, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by chml17l

Thanks for the review Mike. Would you consider the Safe D-greaser safe for diluted use on carpets or interiors?

even dilluted its probally pretty strong stuff, I would be afraid it might hurt it.

**joyriide1113** · 03-13-2006, 02:23 PM

I have a full gallon of it that I purchased from Dwayne at PAC. The great thing about it is its gentle on aluminum. I did my usual test on the aluminum on my garage door brackets and it did not stain when sprayed directly and left for 2-3 minutes.

As for using it on carpets, I like to spray it 4:1 on spots. I have both rubber and carpeted mats on my car and it has not stained once.

I would give a more thorough review of this product, but can`t attest to many more uses other than tire cleaning, engine , and spots.

It even says its safe for use on leather, so I`m 99% positive it shouldn`t give you any problems on carpets.

**Mr. Clean** · 03-13-2006, 03:31 PM

IIRC, this product replaced Citri-Gel in the product lineup. I can`t remember, is this a citrus based cleaner? I stocked up on Citri-Gel when I heard it was being discontinued.

**Mikeyc** · 03-13-2006, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by joyriide1113

It even says its safe for use on leather, so I`m 99% positive it shouldn`t give you any problems on carpets.

Are you sure you have Safe D-Greaser? I just checked my bottle of SDG and my bottle of APC and only the APC says safe for leather.

Since I have both APC and SDG I use APC on the interior and SDG on the exterior. So, I can`t really say if it`s safe for use on interior parts. You could send an email to Megs to see what they say.

Originally Posted by budman3

What can you compare this product to? How well does it clean tires? What other products have you used as degreasers? Thanks for the review

I`ve used Simple Green, Bleche-White, Gliptone, and a couple others I can`t recall the names of right now. Some of these products had more cleaning power, but would turn black rubber/plastic a little grey.

**Mikeyc** · 03-13-2006, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by budman3

What can you compare this product to? How well does it clean tires? What other products have you used as degreasers? Thanks for the review

I`ve used Simple Green, Bleche-White, Gliptone, and a couple others I can`t recall the names of right now. Some of these products had more cleaning power, but would turn black rubber/plastic a little grey.