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CLEANING SUPPLIES
What to Ditch and Switch: Top Two Contenders
Everyone knows cleaning products contain chemicals. But what many don’t realize is where those chemicals end up—on your clothes, your dishes, in your air, and even in your body. A home can look and smell clean while quietly exposing you to a daily dose of residue. The good news? Swapping just a few key products can make a real difference.
Clean clothes aren’t always clean. What’s left behind could surprise you.
That fresh laundry scent you love? It’s not actually clean—it’s chemical. Most conventional laundry detergents are loaded with synthetic fragrances, optical brighteners, and preservatives that cling to your clothes long after the rinse cycle. And those residues don’t just stay in the fabric—they transfer to your skin.
Dinner Served With a Side of Residue
You trust your dishwasher to do the dirty work—and it does. But most commercial dishwasher pods leave behind more than just spotless plates. Many contain synthetic surfactants, rinse aids, and enzymes designed to cling to food particles and break them down. The problem? Those same chemicals can cling to your dishes—and you may be eating off that invisible residue with every bite.
(Dis)Honorable Mentions:
The Runners-Up in the Toxic Cleaner Games
ANIMATION
They may not get as much attention as laundry or dish products, but these common cleaners are far from harmless. Each one brings its own dose of artificial fragrance, respiratory irritants, or hormone-disrupting chemicals. If you’re serious about reducing your home’s toxic load, these are the next swaps that can make a real impact.
The Lingo
1. Surfactants What they are: Short for “surface-active agents,” these compounds reduce the surface tension of water to help lift dirt, grease, and oil. Common in: Soaps, detergents, all-purpose cleaners Why it matters: Some surfactants (like sodium lauryl sulfate or nonylphenol ethoxylates) can irritate skin or disrupt hormones—and they may not be fully rinsed away. 2. VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) What they are: Chemicals that easily become vapors or gases at room temperature Common in: Disinfectant sprays, air fresheners, oven cleaners Why it matters: VOCs like formaldehyde or 2-butoxyethanol contribute to indoor air pollution and have been linked to respiratory irritation, headaches, and long-term health effects. 3. Fragrance What it is: A generic term for a mixture of scent chemicals (sometimes hundreds) added to mask chemical smells or give a “clean” scent Common in: Almost all mainstream cleaners and air fresheners Why it matters: Fragrance formulas are considered trade secrets, so companies don’t have to disclose what’s in them—even if they include allergens, endocrine disruptors, or phthalates. 4. Antibacterials What they are: Chemicals added to kill or inhibit bacteria Common in: Hand soaps, surface disinfectants, kitchen sprays Why it matters: Ingredients like triclosan can disrupt hormones and contribute to antibiotic resistance without offering real benefits over plain soap and water. 5. Preservatives What they are: Compounds used to prevent microbial growth and extend shelf life Common in: Liquid cleaners, wipes, detergents Why it matters: Many preservatives release formaldehyde or are linked to skin allergies (e.g., methylisothiazolinone, quaternium-15), raising concerns with repeated exposure.
The Toxic Ten
1. Fragrance (Undisclosed Mixtures) Used as: Scent additives in nearly all conventional cleaners and air fresheners Concerns: Can include hundreds of undisclosed chemicals, some linked to allergies, asthma, and hormone disruption Study: Secret Scents: Health Risks of Hidden Fragrance Chemicals (EWG/WVE) 2. Phthalates Used as: Fragrance stabilizers in air fresheners, dish soaps, and detergents Concerns: Linked to hormone disruption, reduced fertility, and developmental issues in children Study: Endocrine Disruption and Health Effects of Phthalates (NIH) 3. Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (Quats) Used as: Disinfectants in antibacterial sprays and wipes Concerns: Associated with asthma, skin irritation, and potential reproductive toxicity Study: Occupational Asthma Associated with Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (NIH) 4. 2-Butoxyethanol (2-BE) Used as: Solvent in window, kitchen, and multipurpose cleaners Concerns: Can cause respiratory irritation, headaches, and potential liver/kidney damage Study: Health Effects of Glycol Ethers (ATSDR) 5. Triclosan Used as: Antibacterial agent in soaps and disinfectants Concerns: May disrupt thyroid hormones, contribute to antibiotic resistance, and impact liver function Study: Triclosan and Hormonal Disruption (NIH) 6. Ammonia Used as: Glass, stainless steel, and oven cleaner Concerns: Strong respiratory irritant; dangerous when mixed with bleach (creates toxic chloramine gas) Study: Lung Health and Household Cleaners (ALA) 7. Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach) Used as: Disinfectant, mold remover, and whitening agent in toilet bowl and laundry cleaners Concerns: Can irritate skin, eyes, and lungs; mixing with ammonia or acids creates toxic gases Study: Toxicological Review of Bleach Exposure (NIH) 8. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) Used as: Foaming agent in dish soaps, floor cleaners, and hand soaps Concerns: Skin and eye irritation, potential to increase skin absorption of other harmful chemicals Study: Irritation Potential of SLS (PubMed) 9. Formaldehyde (or Formaldehyde Releasers) Used as: Preservative in some spray disinfectants and cleaning products (may be listed as DMDM hydantoin or quaternium-15) Concerns: Known human carcinogen; can cause respiratory and skin irritation Study: Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk (NIH/National Cancer Institute) 10. Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPEs) Used as: Surfactants in laundry detergents and all-purpose cleaners Concerns: Endocrine disruption, harmful to aquatic life, bioaccumulative in the environment Study: Toxic Effects of NPEs (Environmental Health Perspectives)
Back to Invisible Overload
REVIEW THE EVIDENCE
Chemicals in Household Cleaners: Laundry Detergents and Dishwasher Soaps ECOS® – 7 Common Toxins Found in Laundry Detergent https://www.ecos.com/live-cleaner/7-common-toxins-found-in-laundry-detergent/ ECOS® – 6 Common Toxins Found in Household Cleaners https://www.ecos.com/live-cleaner/6-common-toxins-found-in-household-cleaners/ Environmental Working Group (EWG) – Household Cleaner Ratings and Ingredients https://www.ewg.org/cleaners/content/findings/ American Lung Association – Cleaning Supplies and Household Chemicals https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/cleaning-supplies-household-chem Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – Gut epithelial barrier damage caused by dishwasher detergents and rinse aids https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(22)01477-4/fulltext Wikipedia – Environmental impact of cleaning products https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_cleaning_products