3-in-One Oil

{{redirect|3-in-1|Three in One|Three in One (disambiguation)}}

{{Short description|General-purpose lubricating oil}}

{{Infobox product

| image = 3-In-One Logo.svg

| type = Lubricating oil

| inventor = George W. Cole

| inception = 1894

| manufacturer = WD-40 Company

| available =

| url = [https://www.3inone.com/ 3inone.com]

}}

File:3in1oil.jpg

3-in-One Oil is a general-purpose lubricating oil sold for household and do-it-yourself use. It was originally formulated in 1894 for use on bicycles, and remains a popular lubricant for their chains. Its name, given by inventor George W. Cole of New Jersey in 1894,{{Cite news|url=https://www.fohbc.org/PDF_Files/3-In-One_Oil_CMunsey.pdf|title=The Oldest "3-IN-ONE-OIL" Container|last=Munsey|first=Cecil|date=2006|work=Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors|access-date=2018-04-08}} reflects the product's triple ability to "clean, lubricate and protect".

The product changed ownership many times throughout the 20th century and was bought by its current owners, the WD-40 Company, in 1995. The current marketing slogan is "The Tool Kit In A Can," with the logo of the text "3 in" inside a large numeral "1".

A few other products are now produced under the 3-in-1 brand, including a white lithium grease, silicone spray, and oil with added PTFE.

In 2000, the can was redesigned to look like the early 20th century oil can design, with a hemisphere base and tapered straight spout.[http://dfenginc.com/hdpe_oil_bottle.htm HDPE oil bottle squeezes another prize], Packaging Digest, 11 November 2000 (from dfenginc.com, retrieved 19 July 2010)

An advertisement in The Church Standard magazine (April 13, 1901, p 867) offers 3 in 1 Oil as a perfect polish for pianos. It claimed that the oil was "long lasting" and did not come off on the clothes.[https://books.google.com/books?id=sIJPAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Lexington+street+near+pine%22+baltimore&pg=PA865 3 in One Polishes Pianos Perfectly], The Church Standard, 13 April 1901 (from books.google.com, retrieved 15 April 2014) An advertisement in Good Housekeeping (March 1930) suggests using 3 in 1 Oil as a furniture polish, by wringing out a water-soaked cloth and putting 3 in 1 Oil on it, wiping the dirt off the surface with the oiled cloth, then polishing the surface clean with a dry soft cloth.