Tom’s Secret Formula stops squeaky garages

ACE Hardware locations selling new product

Haley Miller

Special to the Gateway

In January the two Gig Harbor branches of ACE Hardware added Tom’s Secret Formula products to their shelves.

Tom’s Secret Formula is a new line of earth-friendly lubricants by Camie-Campbell, specifically designed to be safer for the environment and those who use it.

The line of products includes B-404 All-Purpose Lubricant, Garage Door Lubricant, Cutting Oil, Trucker’s Lubricant and High Performance Pipe Thread Lubricant.

Unlike traditional lubricants, Tom’s Secret Formula products are formulated with domestically grown, renewable natural vegetable oils. They contain no chlorine or regulated toxins, making them biodegradable and non-toxic.

Tom’s Secret Formula lubricants outperform petroleum-based products by providing higher viscosity and better lubrication. They also produce very little smell in comparison to petroleum-based lubricants.

Safe for all metals, Tom’s Secret Formula B-404 All-Purpose Lubricant is designed for use in many applications, including lubrication for moving parts, loosening rusted and frozen bolts and nuts, blocking moisture or preventing rust.

The garage door lubricant is ideal for lubricating rollers, hinges, springs, bearings, cables, locks or roller chains, loosening rusted or frozen bolts and nuts, and preventing rust.

Gig Harbor ACE Hardware store owner Dell Garber tested the garage door lubricant in his own home.

“You can hardly hear the garage door open anymore — it is far superior to anything WD-40 has ever produced,” Garber said.

Garber added that use of the products only requires one application, which is less smelly or messy than petroleum-based products.

Gig Harbor ACE Hardware stores carry Tom’s Secret Formula B-404 All-Purpose Lubricant, Garage Door Lubricant and Trucker’s Lubricant products.

All Tom’s Secret Formula products are priced at $7.99 for an 11.5-ounce can. ACE carries WD-40 Smart Straw for $5.49 (12 ounces).

Tom’s Garage Door Lubricant is significantly better priced than its petroleum-based alternative, the AGS Aerosol Automatic Garage Door Lubricant — $6.49 for 4 ounces.

Sales for both products already have surpassed their traditional petroleum-based competitors at ACE of Gig Harbor in the past few months.

Garber hopes environmentally conscious customers will keep the high-performing, affordable alternative to petroleum-based lubricants in mind the next time their garage doors start getting squeaky.