HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS

Learning Objectives:
 Give common examples of cleaning materials for the house
 Identify the active ingredients of cleaning products used at home
 Give the use of ingredients in cleaning agents

 Do you know that household cleaning products can be classified according to

their specific uses?

 What should you know about household cleaning products?

Types and Ingredients of Household Cleaning Products

1. General Purpose Cleaners

General Purpose Cleaners are weakly alkaline (i.e.,basic) surface cleaners
intended for a wide variety of use. Examples of
such products are multipurpose spray cleansers
for floors or walls. They contain anionic or non-
ionic surfactant and at least one of the following
compounds- alcohols, silicates, sodium carbonate,
phosphates or sodium EDTA- as active
ingredients. Oher ingredients used in these
products are dyes, fragrances, and preservatives,
which are all considered as inactive ingredients.
Surfactants, or surface active agents, are chemical
agents that aid in the cleaning of surfaces contains
oil, stains, and dirt, which are normally not
soluble in water. They contain hydrophilic
( water-loving) polar head and hydrophobic ( water- fearing) non- polar tail. The head
interacts with polar molecules like water, while the tail that usually comprised of a
hydrocarbon chain attaches to nonpolar substances like oil.
Bathroom Cleansers
Bathroom cleansers are products specifically designed for bathroom surfaces, such as tubs, tiles,
and toilet bowl which normally develop stains like mildew. Bathroom cleansers are either acidic
or alkaline depending on the surface they will be used on. Alkaline cleansers are best to use for
bathroom floors, walls, tiles, and bathtubs because they preserve the enamel finishes on these
surfaces; acidic cleansers can damage enamels.

Special Surface Cleansers

Other surfaces that require special cleansers include glass surfaces, carpets and upholstery. Glass
cleansers typically contain water, glycol ethers, ammonia, and alcohols, are commercially
available as moistened towelettes, or liquid or aerosol sprays. Carpet and upholstery cleansers
are sold as liquid shampoos or as powders. Both forms may contain surfactants, foam stabilizers,
alcohol, and/or glycol ethers, but the powders may have additional porous carrier material that
trap the dirt.
Stain and Deposit Removers
Stain removers are designed to remove spots and are commercially available as fluids or
sticks. The common active ingredients in these cleaning materials are surfactants, solvents or
enzymes. Other cleansing products that require the use of abrasives like brushes and steel wool
to remove solid deposits on a surface are called souring cleansers.
Disinfectant and Sanitizers
Some household products are used to either eradicate or just lessen microbes on surfaces, but not
necessarily clean them. These are disinfectant and sanitizer, which both come in liquid forms.
Disinfectants, however, are also sold as sprays, while sanitizers may be available as gels. Usually
used in such as salmonella, and staphylococci bacteria, which caused typhoid fever, diarrhea and
skin infection.
 What are the basic ingredients of the common types of household cleaning products?
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Activity
Household Cleaning Products
Objective: Examine household cleaning products and assess one’s susceptibility to risks from
such products
Procedure
Examine household cleaning products at your home and identify their active ingredient(s) as
well as hazardous components(s). you may use your references to fill in the data below.
Using your data, make an inference about your susceptibility to risks from the chemicals.
Wear rubber gloves, gas masks, and/or other protective equipment if necessary, when
examining the products.
Data
Location Number of Brand of Active Hazardous Effects of
Household Representative Ingredient(s) Component(s) Hazardous
Cleaning Cleaning Component(s)
Agents Agent to Humans
Kitchen

Bathroom

Laundry

Bedroom

Essential Questions
1. What should you know about household cleaning products?
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2. Which information in a product label do you consider important and why?
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