Who doesn't know WD-40? Four out of five American households have at least one blue-and-yellow spray can for loosening the stubborn elbow joint under the kitchen sink or silencing the squeaky screen door. Despite some 200 rivals, WD-40 has an estimated 70% of the U.S. market for multipurpose lubricants—which has led to something of a cult following. Consider the newspaper accounts of how WD-40 was used to extract a python from a bus exhaust pipe or a burglar stuck in an air duct (yes, he was arrested). Jay Leno uses it for jokes: "Prevents chafing when handcuffed by Madonna." Recently the TV sitcom Dharma & Greg showed a grieving relative using WD-40 at an open-casket viewing to remove a promised ring from the deceased.
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