Cleaning Product Ingredients: A Little Bit Of Knowledge Will Boost Your Business

By Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, Senior Director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a division of ISSA

Gavin Macgregor-Skinner

The cleaning industry plays a vital role in maintaining health and safety, ensuring that workplaces, public spaces, and homes are free from harmful pathogens and pollutants. Most people spend 90 percent of their time in built environments. However, for cleaning and maintenance supply distributors, understanding the ingredients in cleaning products is critical — not only for the effectiveness of the cleaning products but also for the safety of the workers who use them.

ISSA — The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association — emphasizes the importance of training in the cleaning industry. In 2023, ISSA conducted 54 in-person “Cleaning for Health” workshops and trained nearly 900 “Essential Cleaning Professionals.” The workshops highlighted the significant knowledge gaps among workers, particularly in their understanding of the chemicals they handle daily.

ISSA is changing the way the world views cleaning and facility solutions. Cleaning is an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. ISSA aims to bridge the knowing-doing gap (the disconnect between knowledge and action) by providing essential insights into the ingredients found in cleaning products and the potential risks associated with their use.

The Importance Of Ingredient Knowledge

One of the key takeaways from the ISSA workshops was the alarming fact that 90 percent of participants could not recall a single ingredient in the cleaning products they used at work. This lack of awareness poses a significant risk to both workers and the environments they clean.

Cleaning products are categorized into general-purpose cleaners and specialty cleaners, such as kitchen, bathroom, glass, carpet, floor care, and furniture cleaners. Each of these products may contain a wide variety of chemical ingredients, each with its own specific purpose, such as surfactants, solvents, bleaches, enzymes, and more.

Understanding these ingredients is crucial because different chemicals may react differently when combined or when exposed to various conditions, such as heat or light. This knowledge is not just about knowing what is in the product but also understanding how these chemicals interact and what safety precautions should be taken.

Ingredients In Cleaning Products

  • Surfactants: These are critical in most cleaning products, helping the product to wet surfaces, emulsify greasy soils, and lift away dirt.
  • Solvents: Dissolve soils, making them easier to remove. However, some solvents can be hazardous, especially when inhaled, so proper ventilation and protective equipment are essential.
  • Builders: Builders adjust the pH of the cleaning product, optimizing cleaning performance and suspending soils.
  • Bleaches: These chemicals oxidize and remove soils, often lightening the color of stains. Bleaches can be particularly hazardous if mixed with other chemicals, such as ammonia, leading to the production of toxic gases.
  • Enzymes: Accelerate chemical reactions, breaking down soils more effectively. Different enzymes target specific types of soils, such as proteins, fats, or starches, making them useful in various cleaning applications.
  • Chelants: Bind to positively charged metal ions, like calcium and magnesium, in water, preventing them from interfering with the cleaning process. Without chelants, more surfactants would be needed, or users would have to use more cleaning product, increasing the cost and potential exposure to chemicals.
  • Biological Additives: These break down organic soils into smaller particles, allowing them to be more easily emulsified by surfactants and removed.
  • Preservatives: To ensure that cleaning products remain effective for months after production, preservatives are added. These prevent the growth of bacteria or mold within the product itself, which could otherwise degrade its effectiveness.

Risks Associated With Chemical Ingredients

While the ingredients in cleaning products are designed to be effective, they also come with potential risks. If used incorrectly they can be toxic, explosive, flammable, self-reactive, oxidizing, or corrosive. Exposure to certain chemicals can cause health issues ranging from minor irritations to serious conditions like asthma or cancer.

Inhalation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cleaning products can worsen indoor air quality, leading to respiratory issues. The way a product is applied can also influence exposure levels. For example, aerosol sprays disperse chemicals in fine droplets, which are more likely to be inhaled, whereas pump dispensers emit larger droplets that are less likely to be inhaled but may cause skin contact issues.

Moreover, some chemicals in cleaning products can react with substances in the air, such as ozone, to produce secondary pollutants like formaldehyde, which are harmful to human health.

The Role Of Labels And Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

Understanding the chemical ingredients in cleaning products is not just about safety but also about compliance. Products containing hazardous chemicals must be accompanied by a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) that provides detailed information on the chemical’s identity, health and physical hazards, exposure limits, and necessary precautions.

However, as highlighted in the ISSA workshops, many workers do not know how to interpret the information provided on these labels or in SDSs. For instance, terms like “handle in accordance with good industrial hygiene and safety practice” are often too vague for workers to implement effectively.

To address this, it is crucial for distributors and employers to provide training on how to read and understand product labels and SDSs. Workers should be taught to recognize hazardous chemicals and understand the risks associated with them. For example, labels might list a solvent like 2-Butoxyethanol under different names such as: Butyl Cellosolve, butyl glycol, or ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE) — making it difficult for workers to identify if it is a hazardous substance.

Making Informed Choices

As the industry moves toward safer and more sustainable cleaning practices, there is a growing need for education and technical assistance to help protect the health of buildings, occupants, and the environment. ISSA is partnering with universities and community colleges to develop tools and educational resources that help businesses and disadvantaged communities make safer choices in their cleaning practices. In 2025, ISSA is planning in-person workshops — in partnership with manufacturers and distributors — that will involve product demonstrations as adults learn best by doing.

For those in the cleaning and maintenance supplies distribution industry, the key to safe and effective cleaning lies in the knowledge and understanding of the different ingredients found in cleaning products. This is more important than ever. By being informed about the chemicals in these products, and the potential risks they pose, you can ensure that the products you supply are used safely and effectively. This not only protects the workers who use these products but also contributes to a healthier indoor environment for everyone.

Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner is the senior director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a division of ISSA. He is also an Associate Professor at the Penn State College of Medicine. As an infection prevention expert and university professor, he works to develop protocols and education for the global cleaning industry to empower facilities, businesses, and cleaning professionals to create safe and healthy environments. Visit gbac.issa.com.

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