I remember the smell of Murphy's Oil Soap from childhood. Other than having clean floors, the scent of Murphy's is one of the few things I like about scrubbing floors. And I always felt good about using it, knowing I wasn't exposing my family or our pets to dangerous chemicals. When I was done cleaning, I felt okay about dumping the bucket right into the grass. We even decided to switch to Murphy's for cleaning in our newly "green" office...and that's when I got the bad news.
While I was online looking for green cleaning products, I came across this item from Colgate-Palmolive, identifying potassium hydroxide as one of the ingredients in Murphy's Oil Soap. A little further research and I learned that potassium hydroxide is used for electroplating, debudding calves' horns, dissolving warts, scales, hair and cuticles. It's also used in liquid drain cleaners, and for chemically peeling fruits.
A quick search on the internet will find you hundreds of green gurus who recommend Murphy Oil Soap in the same category with vinegar, lemon juice and salt. I'm a newbie. I'm not a green guru, and I'm certainly not a chemist, but until someone shows me the carcinogen warnings on a lemon, I'm getting rid of my Murphy's.
By the way, it's not a soap either; it's a detergent. Who can you trust these days?