what are mineral spirits

Mineral spirits, also known as white spirit (AU, UK, and Ireland) or petroleum spirits, is a clear liquid derived from petroleum and used as a common organic solvent in painting. Mineral spirits are used to thin oil-based paint, clean paint brushes after use, clean auto parts and tools, remove adhesive residue from non-porous surfaces, and many other common tasks. Mineral spirits are different from distilled spirits (alcoholic beverages distilled from fermented biological material) or from true turpentine (distilled tree resin) . Mineral spirits are made of 100-percent petroleum distillates and have no additives. They are derived from minerals, in this case, petroleum. Mineral spirits have a characteristic unpleasant kerosene-like odor, but chemical manufacturers have developed a low odor version of mineral spirits which contains less of the highly volatile shorter hydrocarbons. Odorless mineral spirits are white spirits that have been further refined to remove the more toxic aromatic compounds.