Home Cleaning Products and How to Use Them*

Cleaning products are essential in your daily life at home, in the office, or at school. They help you safely and effectively remove germs, soils, and other contaminants to stay healthy by controlling allergens (like dust and mold), reducing shelter for pests, and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. These products also help you to care for your home and possessions.

The chemicals used in cleaning products, such as bleaches, laundry detergents, and other household cleaners, help improve cleaning efficiency and make your living areas easy to clean and hygienic. However, with so many cleaning products available in the market from numerous companies, it’s essential to know what to look for when shopping.

Cleaning products often display complex chemical terms on their labels, while commercial advertisements may exaggerate their performance. Therefore, you need to know the common ingredients in cleaning products to make informed decisions when comparing them.

Always buy from known household cleaning products manufacturers and brands like HG International B.V. that produces a range of products from a leather cleaner to a glasses cleaner and everything in between.

Types of Cleaning Products

Some of the common types of cleaning products include:

1. Detergents

Detergents ingredients are present in many home cleaning products. The chemical substance can break up and remove grime and grease. Surfactants (surface active agents) are the essential ingredients in detergents, and they help loosen dirt, oils, and grease by bonding them with water and washing them away.

1. Disinfectants

Hospitals and clinics commonly use these products because they contain a chemical that destroys disease-causing pathogens within five to ten minutes.

1. Sanitizers

Sanitizers are commonly used in household and restaurant products and reduce germs on surfaces to a level that public health codes and regulations consider relatively safe.

1. Acids

Acids remove mineral deposits, hard water deposits, and rust stains. They can also remove discoloration from some metals, including copper, aluminum, bronze, and brass, and disinfect surfaces.

1. Alkalis

These cleaners have alkali salts, such as sodium carbonate (soda ash or washing soda), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), trisodium phosphate (TSP), and sodium metasilicate. Certain alkali salts exhibit water-softening characteristics. Cleaning products are available in detergents, soaps, and all-purpose cleaners.

1. Abrasives

Abrasives refer to rough or gritty products that clean surfaces by creating friction to lift off hardened stains, food particles, tarnish, and grease. They occur in physical, mineral, or chemical (scouring powders) form.

1. Bleaching Agents

These chemicals help remove stains and disinfect surfaces.

1. Spirit Solvents

Solvents refer to cleaning chemicals that dissolve oily dirt, oil, and grease and contain mineral spirits, acetones, and denatured alcohols. Examples of cleaners are spot removers, drain cleaners, sanitizers, and all-purpose cleaners. Spirit solvents include turpentine, kerosene, and paint thinners.

Different Uses and Benefits

Chemicals found in cleaning products such as laundry detergents help them perform equally well in hot and cold water, enabling you to save money and energy. Additionally, highly concentrated liquid laundry formations require less packaging materials – generating less waste.

Cleaning products containing antibacterial properties remove dirt and kill illness-causing germs.

Chlorinated products help protect against episodes of foodborne illnesses and seasonal flu outbreaks. That’s why hospitals, restaurants, daycare centers, and other public facilities rely on disinfectants to keep their environment germ-free.

Cleaning solvents have good water compatibility, good biodegradability, and high solvency for oils and greases. Glycol ethers, for example, make up effective active component cleaning formulations for floors, hard surfaces, and heavy-duty glass.

Over to You

While effective and relatively safe, cleaning products require appropriate handling and storage to protect you and your loved ones’ health. Ensure you always read the safety information on the label and follow the instructions given before using any product.