Spic and Span
{{Short description|Household cleaner}}
{{Infobox brand
| name = Spic 'n' Span
| logo = SpicNSpan logo.png
| logo_upright =
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| producttype = Household cleaner
| currentowner = KIK Custom Products Inc.
| producedby =
| country = United States
| introduced = {{start date and age|1933}}
| discontinued =
| related =
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| previousowners = Procter & Gamble, Prestige Brands
| trademarkregistrations =
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| website = {{URL|spicnspan.com}}
| module =
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}}
Spic and Span is a brand of all-purpose household cleaner marketed by KIK Custom Products Inc. for home consumer use and by Procter & Gamble for professional (non-home-consumer) use.
History
File:The Ladies' home journal (1948) (14766679855).jpg
On June 15, 1926, Whistle Bottling Company of Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania, registered "Spic and Span" trademark No. 214,076 — washing and cleaning compound in crystal form with incidental water-softening properties.{{fact|date=March 2019}}
The modern cleaner was invented by housewives Elizabeth "Bet" MacDonald and Naomi Stenglein in Saginaw, Michigan in 1933.{{fact|date=March 2019}} Their formula included equal parts of ground-up glue, sodium carbonate, and trisodium phosphate; though trisodium phosphate is no longer part of the modern formula out of a concern for environmental damage from phosphates making their way into waterways.{{fact|date=March 2019}} Stenglein observed that testing in her house made it spotless, or "spick and span". They took the k off "spick" and started selling the product to local markets. From 1933 to 1944, both families helped run their "Spic and Span Products Company".{{fact|date=March 2019}} On January 29, 1945, Procter & Gamble, a major international manufacturer of household and personal products based in Cincinnati, Ohio, bought Spic and Span for $1.9 million.[http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/magpage.html Michigan History], November/December, 2007. pp. 13-15. On August 30, 1949, Procter & Gamble registered the "Spic and Span" trademark (soluble cleaner, cleanser, and detergent).{{fact|date=March 2019}}
The product was advertised in many soap operas, serving as the main sponsor of Search for Tomorrow for two decades.{{fact|date=March 2019}}
The brand, along with Comet, was acquired by Prestige Brands in 2001.{{cite web|url= https://progressivegrocer.com/prestige-brands-international-inc-acquires-comet|title=Prestige Brands International Inc. acquires Comet|first=|last=|work=Progressive Grocer|date=October 2, 2001|access-date=February 6, 2019}} In 2018, Prestige Brands sold the brand to KIK Custom Products Inc.{{cite press release |date=2 July 2018 |title=Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. Announces Strategic Sale of Household Cleaning Business |url=http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/07/02/1532667/0/en/Prestige-Brands-Holdings-Inc-Announces-Strategic-Sale-of-Household-Cleaning-Business.html |website=GlobeNewswire News Room}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1295947/000129594718000020/exhibit101-assetpurchaseag.htm|title=Exhibit|website=www.sec.gov}} Procter & Gamble retained the rights to market the brand to the professional (non-home-consumer) market in the United States.{{cite web |title=Spic and Span All Purpose Cleaner|publisher=Procter & Gamble|url=http://www.pgbrands.com/Default.aspx?tabid=37&product=139|access-date=2009-06-17}}
Usage
The powdered form must be mixed in water to use. A liquid version is also available. Although considered all-purpose, it is "not recommended for carpets, upholstery, aluminum, glass, laundry, or mixing with bleach or ammonia" as written on product label.{{fact|date=March 2019}}
Etymology
The product was named from the older phrase "spick and span".{{Wiktionary|spick-and-span}}
The phrase "span-new" meant as new as a freshly cut wood chip, such as those once used to make spoons. In a metaphor dating from at least 1300, something span-new was neat and unstained.Martin, Gary. [http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/spick-and-span.html Spick-and-span], Phrases.org.uk. Accessed 2019-03-08.
Spic was added in the 16th century, as a "spick" (a spike or nail) was another metaphor for something neat and trim. The British phrase may have evolved from the Dutch spiksplinter nieuw, "spike-splinter new".[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=s&p=35 Online Etymology Dictionary]. Accessed 2007-01-16. In 1665, Samuel Pepys used "spicke and span" in his famous diary. The "clean" sense appears to have arisen only recently.{{Cite web | url=http://takeourword.com/Issue045.html | title=Take Our Word For It Issue 45 | date=1999-06-21 | access-date=2007-01-16}} The term is completely unrelated to the modern epithet spic.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.spicnspan.com/}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spic And Span}}
Category:Prestige Brands brands