When it comes to car washing, we need strong but safe detergent to tackle stubborn stains like oil greases, tree sap or bird droppings. Out of many options, Simple Green and Mean Green are very popular with car owners but still many confused about how these two degreasers differ.
In this blog, I’ll show you a detailed comparison between Simple Green vs Mean Green so you can decide which product is right for you.
In general, Mean Green is an ultra-concentrated version of Simple Green, and they have their own unique cleaning abilities. Mean Green is stronger and has to be used with care.
If you’re not an expert in car washing, I suggest you go to Simple Green cleaners. If you know the stuff, Mean Green can be a good use at lower prices.
Here is a quick summary table:
| Simple Green | Mean Green | |
|---|---|---|
| Product Image |
|
|
| Ingredients | Non-toxic | Hazardous |
| Intended usage | All-rounder | Industrial, heavy-duty functions |
| Car detailing | Car's interior & exterior | Wheels, engine parts or areas with build-up dirt |
| Should NOT use on | Leather | Leather, glass, aluminum, clear coated surfaces, acrylic, and chrome |
| Oder | Stronger | Less |
| Instruction | Can dilute or not | MUST dilute before use Protective gears: gloves & eyes protection |
Table of Contents
Simple Green
Specifications
Simple Green is one of the most recognized names in all of the cleaning products. It’s safe for the environment and a good price for the results. Simple Green has commonly trusted for its powerful, safe, and eco-friendly cleaning products.
Simple Green is like an all-rounder cleaner. This versatile formula is ideal for every home like kitchen surfaces, sinks, showers, bathtubs, and car cleaning.
From stainless steel to iron and even wood and fabrics. This cleaner is great for tackling virtually any level of grime. You can use it on virtually any surface.
When applying Simple Green to the inside of your car, it’s important to note that it is 30x concentrated. Thus, you’d better dilute it before use. Diluting means making it thinner or weaker so the medication will go where it’s supposed to.
You can change the formula to get appropriate strengths for different surfaces and problem areas. Knowing if you plan to use this formula straight from the bottle is important.
If you’re interested in trying natural and safe products to clean your house, Simple Green is designed to be a completely safe product for you and the environment.
It’s also 100% biodegradable and non-toxic. This will give you much peace of mind if you are conscious of these things when cleaning.
To sum up, Simple Green is a good cleaner for most household cleaning projects. You can use it for almost any type of cleaning that you may need to use it for. Not a luxury item, but if you really need to get through it, this is the only thing to use! The only problem with Simple Green is that it’s not the cheapest option on the market.
Pros
- Non-toxic
- Power washers and scrubbers compatible
- Multiple purposes: for houses, workshops, and car cleaning
To Learn How to Wash Cars with Simple Green, click HERE.
Mean Green
Specifications
Mean Green is a powerful cleaner for industrial use. It’s also used for cleaning paint in automotive body shops and other industrial settings. But, according to Mean Green, these products are completely safe and healthy for use in food processing plants as well as food handling facilities.
Mean Green is a great product for getting rid of those stubborn stains. It’s concentrated enough so you can apply it once or twice to really get the job done, but not too concentrated to make you feel like you have to use more than you need.
You can use this concentration cleaner without worrying about it becoming too acidic since it has a much lower concentration than the regular. This is perfect for removing hard-to-remove stains or grime from your favorite carpeting.
The Mean Green brand of cleaners contains environmentally safe products that are 100 percent biodegradable. We cannot comment on the product’s toxicity because it does not say ‘non-toxic.’ If you have concerns about your children or animals, this is something you need to know about before buying this product.
It removes all kinds of stains and will remove grease and heavy-duty grime from even your toughest-to-clean surfaces. This powerful cleaning is so effective at removing stains to make the cleaning super easy, but it’s also cheap, so you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of money.
A common competitor to Mean Green, such as Simple Green, is often 50 percent more expensive than competing degreasers of comparable strength. The lower price generally means the item is being usually sold in bulk quantities, which generally means it was a better deal for the seller, even though the cost to purchase more could have been higher. This makes it ideal for industrial use.
Pros
- Biodegradable
- Safe to use on almost any surfaces
- Buy in bulk at a better price
- Cheaper than other competing products
Click HERE to update the price of Mean Green on Amazon.
How to safely wash a car with Mean Green Product
Given that Mean Green is a strong industrial solvent, you should be careful when washing a car. Here is what you can do:
First and foremost, avoid touching the chemical with your bare hands. It is extremely reactive. Therefore, you should use hand protection or just be cautious.
Step 1: Dilute it
Mix Mean Green with a bucket of soft, clean water. Water should be agitated until it foams. The amount of Mean Green will depend on how much water is in the bucket.
Step 2: Apply it to your vehicle
Start washing your car by pouring the foamy water on it and concentrating on one region at a time. Prior to beginning the rinse, avoid washing the entire automobile at once.
Step 3: Wash your vehicle
Always keep a spare bucket of fresh water close by. To prevent water marks, immediately rinse each side after washing.
Step 4: Dry the vehicle
Use microfiber towels to avoid paint scratches or swirl marks that could happen if you use normal hand towels to dry.
Simple Green Vs Mean Green: The comparison
Target Usage
Your intended application should be taken into account while choosing between the two in order to make the optimal choice.
Simple Green is an excellent all-purpose cleanser that can be used to clean your home and even remove stains from cloth. This implies that it would make an excellent exterior and interior automobile cleaning.
Mean Green is a multipurpose cleaner that is also designed to operate well in automotive and car cleaning environments. However, unlike Simple Green, Mean Green is very concentrated and requires dilution.
Safety
While all of these solutions have the same cleaning ability, Simple Green is reputed to smell harsher than Mean Green but makes the claim to be non-toxic.
However, the Mean Green appears to be more hazardous in contrast, so you should quickly rinse it off of your skin and eyes, and if you consume it, you should call poison control.
Pricing
Pricing is typically the key differentiator for any product and can make or break a sale. Due to the different product dilatation, which means you would not necessarily get more product in a larger bottle, it might be challenging to compare various items.
Simple Green is more expensive than Mean Green in terms of costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Simple Green Vs Mean Green: which is better for car wash?
Always use environmentally friendly, non-toxic products for you and your family. When selecting green products, always read the ingredient list before using them.
Check out this video to see if we can use Simple Green as a prep wash!
What is the difference between Simple Green and Mean Green?
Simple Green is the spray bottle’s cleaning solution (i.e., water). It’s the cheapest way to clean a vehicle and a great all-purpose cleaner. When a car or truck needs a really deep clean, a professional service should be used. Meantime, there are two ways to use mean green; one way is to use the same solution but add some detergent. In the industry, this product is often referred to as “mean green plus detergent” since it has a little bit of detergent added.
Is Mean Green the same as Simple Green?
As mentioned above, they are both degreasers. However, Mean Green is much stronger than Simple Green, so users must pay more attention when using Mean Green cleaners. Also, Mean Green is usually applied for industrial heavy-duty cleaning, while Simple Green cleaners are more for household tasks.
Is Mean Green safe on car paint?
Mean Green should always be tested in a small area before use. The majority of washable surfaces can be cleaned with it without harm, but leather, glass, aluminum, clear-coated surfaces, acrylic, and chrome shouldn’t be cleaned with it.
Read more: The Battle of the Cleaners: Simple Green Vs Purple Power
Can leather car seats be cleaned with Simple Green?
Using Simple Green on your leather seats won’t harm them, but it’s not essential. Other cleaners can quickly remove any debris and dust, but you can use this one to heavily spray the seats and wipe them down with a towel.
Is Simple Green eco-friendly?
According to the information on the Simple Green website, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is easily biodegradable. They tested it. The product won’t last in the environment and will degrade due to microorganisms in the soil.
Furthermore, Simple Green cleaners gained the Safer Choice label, which means they meet US EPA Safer Product Standards.
Conclusion
Simple Green is generally considered the better choice for most situations if you’re the average user or have children or pets. It may be a bit more expensive than Mean Green, but it’s much safer to use with family and pets around. This cannot be overstated when it comes to keeping a house or workshop in tip-top shape.
Further Reading:
Hi everyone, My name is Ollie Barker.
As a seasoned auto expert I have 25 years of experience working in repair and detailing shops. I love to share my tips & tricks to all car lovers, so that’s why I’m here at Automotive Gearz publishing my content, sharing my passion. Also, I’ve been giving my recommendations on which products are the best to have on the market. I always thought it was hard to pick the right part, so hopefully I can make that a bit easier for you.
Hope you enjoy your time on my little blog!
