Almost every household cleaning product is one of five things: a detergent, a bleach, an acid, an alkali or a solvent. Knowing which is which explains what each will clean, what it will damage, and which must never be mixed.
Claims that a product is "eco-friendly" or "natural" have no fixed meaning. A study published in July 2025 found that most products making green claims fell short of the regulator's code on several counts, with cleaning products among the worst.
Chemical products sold in Great Britain carry hazard symbols in a red diamond, with the word "Warning" or "Danger". The ones most often seen in a kitchen cupboard are the exclamation mark, for irritants; the corrosion symbol, for products that burn skin and eyes; the flame; and the dead tree and fish, for harm to water life. The first aid instructions on the back are specific to the product, which is one reason for keeping everything in its original container.
Both attack the lungs within seconds in a small room such as a bathroom. The commonest accident is pouring two different toilet cleaners into the same pan. One product is used at a time and rinsed away before another, with a window open.
Cleaning products are among the commonest causes of accidental poisoning in small children. Liquid laundry capsules are the worst offenders: small, soft, brightly coloured and filled with concentrated detergent that burns the mouth and eyes. Products are kept high up or locked away, and put back at once after use. What to do if a child swallows something is set out under poisoning in children.
None of these words is defined in law. The Competition and Markets Authority's Green Claims Code, published in 2021, sets out six principles for environmental claims: they must be truthful and accurate, clear and unambiguous, fair in their comparisons, backed by evidence, take account of the whole life of the product, and not leave out important information.
In July 2025 the consumer organisation Which? reported on 1,000 product descriptions from large retailers. 62 per cent failed its checks on more than one of the code's principles, most often by using terms such as "eco" or "environmentally friendly" with no explanation, and cleaning products were among the categories that did worst.
Specific claims are more use than general ones: a stated percentage of recycled plastic in the bottle, a concentrated formula, a refill. A product with a hazard symbol is no less hazardous for being plant-based.
A handful of plain substances do much of what branded cleaners do.
Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda mixed together fizz impressively and cancel each other out: one is an acid and the other an alkali, and what is left is mostly salty water.
Cleaning with detergent and hot water removes most germs along with the dirt. Disinfectant earns its place where the risk is real: surfaces and boards that have had raw meat on them, the toilet, and anything touched by a person who is ill with a stomach bug. It works only on a surface that has been cleaned first, and only if left for the contact time stated on the label.
Whatever is poured down a sink or toilet goes to a sewage works and then to a river or the sea. Wet wipes, including those sold as flushable, are a principal cause of blocked sewers and go in the bin. Leftover solvents and strong chemicals are taken to a household waste recycling centre, as described under household recycling.