Cillit Bang

Cillit Bang is the brand name of a range of cleaning products created by consumer products giant Reckitt Benckiser. The products marketed under the brand name include a degreaser, cleaning crystals, and a grime and limescale remover.

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Product contents

Cillit Bang Power Grime and Lime Cleaner Trigger

The Cillit Bang Power Grime and Lime Cleaner Trigger product contains two acids: sulfamic acid and phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid (also known as orthophosphoric acid or phosphoric (V) acid) is a weak mineral acid with the chemical formula H₃PO₄ and applied to rusted iron or steel tools or surfaces to convert iron (III) oxide (rust) to a water-soluble phosphate compound.

Cillit Bang Grime & Lime can be used on glass, acrylic plastic, ceramics (wash basins, toilet bowls, etc.), wall and floor tiles, PVC floor coating, chrome and kitchen sinks.

Cillit Bang Grime & Lime should not be used on any acid sensitive material, such as marble or enamel, aluminium, copper, stone, zinc-plated metals, kitchen worktops, linoleum, varnished, waxed or oiled wood floors, rubber, textiles or carpets.

Cillit Bang Power Cleaning Crystal

The Cillit Bang Power Cleaning Crystal is a powder for cleaning heavily stained surfaces. It contains less than 5% of anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, 15-30% of sodium carbonate, sodium percarbonate (the bleaching compound), and a perfume formula containing limonene. It is a skin irritant and can cause allergic reactions.

Advertising campaign

UK advertisements are presented by effusive fictional character Barry Scott, who claims that Cillit Bang can remove limescale, rust and ground-in dirt, and places a copper 1p coin in Cillit Bang to prove its cleaning ability. In another version of the advert, Barry is joined by housewife Jill, who remarks of his penny-cleaning demonstration, "You love that one, Barry". (The back of the container originally listed copper as a substance on which one should not use Cillit Bang; however, it has since been amended due to the TV advertisement and consumer feedback showing a lack of harm to copper.)

In the original adverts, 'Barry' uses a five cent euro coin. However, within a few weeks, this was replaced with the 1p coin.

Fan response

The garish television advertisement promoting the product in the UK has been the source of many spoofs, video remixes and fan sites on the Internet. Many believe this phenomenon to be an example of viral marketing by the product's manufacturers, but the "hardcore remix" and subsequent video, both popular on the Internet, were created by JAKAZiD, an amused viewer, rather than a paid employee. JAKAZiD's remix was officially released by the dance music record label Nukleuz as a CD single, 12" record and digital download on January 22 2007.

In October 2005, a marketing company working for the Cillit Bang brand decided to exploit this Internet enthusiasm by starting a blog for Barry Scott and posting comments to other web sites. As part of this publicity campaign, the fictional character Barry Scott posted a 'sympathetic' comment on the site of UK weblogger Tom Coates, who was writing about a painful family reunion. The subsequent outrage at the apparent cynicism of the marketing reached the media, and Reckitt Benckiser apologised unreservedly.

The popular British website Weebl's Stuff featured a parody of The Cillit Bang advertisements in the Weebl and Bob episode stains. The fictional product Barry 'advertises' is "Cilly Bang", which supposedly removes difficult pie stains.

Julian Barratt refers to himself as Cillit Bang ("Some call me Cillit Bang") on the "Live at Brixton Mighty Boosh" DVD, whilst playing the character of Rudi Van DiSarnio, a high priest of the Order of Psychedelic Monks.

Easy-Off BAM

It is known in the United States, Canada, and Australia (albeit less popularly) as Easy-Off BAM, with similar packaging and spray bottle design, and in South Africa and Korea as "Easy-Off BANG".

These versions of the advert use a different fictional presenter, known as Dan Dolan and portrayed by different actors in North America and Australia, though recent spots feature Barry Scott. Dan demonstrates the cleaning methods seen in the Cillit Bang adverts, and also cleans oil spills. The North American versions of the advertisement use the appropriate one cent coin (Lincoln cent in the U.S., a 1953–1964 one cent coin in Canada).

The Canadian version also features a disclaimer: "The Royal Canadian Mint neither endorses the product nor the method shown for the cleaning of coins."

Though Easy-Off BAM is basically the same as Cillit Bang, Easy-Off BAM cleans a penny in 60 seconds, whereas Cillit Bang takes only 10-15 seconds, according to both adverts for the Grime and Lime cleaner.