# Do you know what Lestoil is? Are you aware that it is still around? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 5, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225 "2020-10-05T01:27:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/1 "2020-10-05T01:27:14Z")
In today’s Sunday New York Times crossword, one of the answers was “Lestoil”. I had no problem with that one. In a crossword blog I follow (Rex Parker - [link](https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2020/09/childcare-expert-leshan-sun-9-20-20.html)), a surprising number of posters - as well as Rex himself - were dumbfounded that such a thing ever existed. Some of the few who had heard of it cited distant memories of their Mom or Granny using it back in the 60s. Many agreed that it has not been around in decades. Well, I buy and use it regularly - it’s great for getting out greasy spots on clothes. That blob of ranch dressing I dropped on my chest doesn’t stand a chance against Lestoil. Anyway, I never considered it a product of a bygone era. How about you? Are you aware of Lestoil? Pass the Malt-O-Meal and Bosco. mmm ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/2 "2020-10-05T01:30:55Z")
Jesus christ, spoiler, please on TODAY’S puzzle! ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/3 "2020-10-05T01:34:30Z")
Never heard of it before. Reading the Wikipedia article, it looks like they were beaten to mass-market by imitators, who I have heard of. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/4 "2020-10-05T01:35:54Z")
Heard of Lestoil. Last time I heard of it I’m sure I was a child, probably wouldn’t remember it from the 50s so early 60s I think. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/5 "2020-10-05T02:15:32Z")
My mom still has a bottle of it in the basement that she uses occasionally, but that doesn’t prove much, given that she also has a wringer washer in the basement, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/6 "2020-10-05T02:29:42Z")
Never heard of it, although like @glowacks, I have heard of the “similar products” the Wikipedia article mentions (Ajax and Mr. Clean). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/7 "2020-10-05T02:34:35Z")
I remember the brand name from my childhood, in the 1970s. I don’t recall seeing it in a store in years, but then, I don’t spend a lot of time in the household cleaner aisle. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/8 "2020-10-05T02:49:36Z")
I remember it. I still remember the commercial jingle: 🎶 It’s so easy when you use Lestoil… 🎶 Had no idea it was still around though. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/9 "2020-10-05T02:49:50Z")
I remember their ad slogan. “There’ll be less toil with Lestoil.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6AxZoE7XCWc/hqdefault.jpg "1950s Lestoil") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AxZoE7XCWc) ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/10 "2020-10-05T04:11:11Z")
I remember the Lestoil commercials, though I don’t think Mom ever bought it. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the household cleaners section of many stores and haven’t seen it. Where do you find it, OP? ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/11 "2020-10-05T05:30:04Z")
Have to ask my dad. It looks vaguely familiar and as my grandfather was always getting things on his clothes, plus he worked as a maschinist, I could imagine my grandmother had a bottle on hand. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/12 "2020-10-05T05:34:33Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Pass the Malt-O-Meal I’ve never seen nor heard of Lestoil. From the name alone, it sounds like something I’d put into my car engine. I do, however, eat Malt-O-Meal regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/13 "2020-10-05T09:48:02Z")
Interesting. Replies here mirror the blog replies. I guess it’s just me. I buy it at my local supermarket. Also readily available on Amazon. mmm ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/14 "2020-10-05T09:50:01Z")
It’s a new word to me. Never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/15 "2020-10-05T10:41:33Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I’ve never seen nor heard of Lestoil. From the name alone, it sounds like something I’d put into my car engine. > > I do, however, eat Malt-O-Meal regularly. Ditto. The commissaries on the US military bases carry malt-o-meal cereals in those resealable bags. I find them to tast just as good as, and sometimes better than, the big name brand equivalents. Question about that Lestoil that’s apparently been in one poster’s (or their parent’s) dungeon…er, basement for decades: is it still good to use? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/16 "2020-10-05T10:51:50Z")
It still gets out grease stains, which is, so far as I know, what it’s intended to be used for. All it is is a low-viscosity oil, that dissolves other oils, and can then itself be more easily washed out by detergents. It’s only similar to Ajax and Mr. Clean in that all three are cleaning products (but completely different sorts of cleaning products). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/17 "2020-10-05T11:02:18Z")
I’ve known about it my entire life. It never occurred to me that it wasn’t still sold (it is). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/18 "2020-10-05T11:03:50Z")
Absolutely yes! It was great for cleaning up those muddy dinosaur tracks. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/19 "2020-10-05T13:00:21Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > In today’s Sunday New York Times crossword, one of the answers was “Lestoil”. I had no problem with that one. By “today”, do you mean the crossword puzzle of September 20, 2020, or two weeks ago? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2020, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225/20 "2020-10-05T13:54:13Z")
If you read the label, it’s some sort of weird hybrid, in that it’s high in pine oil, surfactants, and has stoddard solvent in it. And you mix it in water like you do any other floor mopping detergent product like Pine Sol, Mr. Clean, Spic-n-Span, etc… It happens to be a fantastic cleaner for greasy stuff, and also soap scum in bathtubs, believe it or not. I used to get it at Home Depot, but I haven’t seen it at my local one in a while. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-lestoil-is-are-you-aware-that-it-is-still-around/922225.md?page=2)