October 10, 2004

HCL a household cleaning product?

Just the other day, Andi and I were discussing some interesting conversations we had during the past week and she mentioned that some of the people at her work seemed to feel that Hydrochloric acid (HCL) is a household cleaning product.... This reminded me of a friend who not only theoretically believed that was true but put it into practice.

He's a bit like Peter Pan - he never really grew up.
One afternoon, I was at his house trying to get the horse (Daisy) out of the backyard where she was terrorizing the dogs and back into the pasture when I saw his car pull into the driveway. Bushes mostly obstructed my view of the drive and so it was just a brief glimpse. The next time I looked up he was riding past the opening on a scooter in full military attire. His comment in response to my amused and somewhat puzzled look was "It was there, it needed to be ridden.

I tell you this only to help illustrate my story. You see, his idea of safety concerns for his children lie under the headings of "if the boys are wrestling,
a) what might they hit their heads on,
b) what might they throw through a window,
c) what might they fall on/through.

He's still a kid which is a great thing for a dad to be ... at times.
His wife, my dearest friend, believes that things like insecticide and herbicides are also dangerous for their children and would prefer they not be playing outside when he liberally applies them to the yard. Or that burning brush where your water hose won't reach may in fact be a safety issue. They just define "safety" differently.

So when she looks out the window to check on her children playing in the backyard and sees her husband walk by in coveralls, gloves and safety glasses, both instinct and experience tell her to get the kids inside ASAP. What might he be doing that he actually takes safety precautions? He's cleaning mineral deposits off the side of the house and windows. And what might he be using? HCL! That's right folks. It will do wonders for your outdoor cleaning. It can also be used to clean a stained toilet and bleach out the countertops in your bathroom (if you set the container on them).
So just out of curiosity who else thinks HCL is a common household cleaning product and what in the world do YOU use it for?

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