Don’t Ever Put Down The Pen!

Today I received from a friend another of those emails we all get from our friends on the net, this one was about the merits and miracles of the ubiquitous WD-40. We all know what WD-40 is but this note was passed on through who knows how many folks who thought it to be essential knowledge and so they tell two friends who tell two friends and so on, until I get it! It gives a brief history of the stuff and then lists about 43 reasons we should have it everywhere. I like in particular “# 5, Keeps flies off cows”. #8 is good too, “Loosens stuck zippers” Alcohol has been known to do the same thing.

I will admit I love this stuff too and have a half dozen cans scattered around my farm but whenever I get one of these messages of dubious heritage, I always check the resources at Snopes.com to see what or if there is anything there about the article in doubt. Barbara Mickleson, the gal who researches, writes and maintains Snopes.com is indefatigable when it comes to confirming or debunking the silliness known as Urban Legends that floats around and into our inboxes. She is also very entertaining and has become a defacto source on the net much like Wikipedia.

As for the WD 40 thing, she has a note on it at this link,

The article is interesting as she contacted the manufacturer for details about this email and she has a link confirming the origin story. She recaps the email I received and deletes the uses that the manufacturer does not recommend. I was amazed to see, “prevents silver from tarnishing” as a recommended use of a petroleum product…. Not on my silverware!

BUT of even more interesting note, is a related article on Bounce.

A similar legend circulates about the beneficial effects of Bounce and her testing of the claims and their results I found hilarious.

Snopes is a great resource and if you go there you can find yourself losing an hour or two perusing all the stuff Barbara has collected over the years. In fact and often, the article on Snopes is more interesting than the email in your inbox.

Bookmark the site and be a regular visitor.