Carbona

/kɑːrˈboʊnə/ noun

Definition

A trademark brand name for a commercial cleaning fluid and spot remover, primarily composed of hydrocarbon solvents.

Etymology

Likely from carbo- (relating to carbon/hydrocarbons) + -a (suffix creating product names). Carbona emerged as a branded product in the early-to-mid 20th century, becoming a genericized trademark similar to Kleenex.

Kelly Says

Carbona was basically the TikTok hack of the mid-1900s—housewives swore by it as an all-purpose dry cleaning solution, and it became so famous that people used 'Carbona' generically for any solvent-based spot remover!

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