Commercial Cleaners
Premier Maintenance Co. Inc.

• Bon Ami Powder (note:  this product is eco-safe):  recommended for grease, baked-on grime, soap scum and food stains. Worked acceptably for mildew.  Active ingredients:  basically just soap and ground felspar (a natural abrasive).

• Soft Scrub with Bleach Antibacterial (paste):  Great for mildew, grease, food-stains and grime.  Active ingredients:  calcium carbonate (limestone, an abrasive), general surfactants (soap/detergent substitutes); and sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach). 

• Comet Disinfectant with Bleach (powder) or Comet Bathroom:  cleans almost anything  but is very hard on surfaces.  Active ingredients:  85% calcium carbonate (limestone, an abrasive), surfactants (soap/detergent substitutes), sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach), sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione dihydrate (a germ-killing agent) and sodium carbonate (washing soda or soda ash, a source of alkalinity).  

• Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom with Bleach (squirt bottle):  Great for soap scum, mildew and food-stains.  Not so good for grease or baked-on grime.  Active ingredients:  Alkyl dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (the chlorine in these kill germs just like the chlorine in bleach kills germs)  and sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach).  Our guess is there is also a source of alkalinity and some surfactants.

• Ajax with Bleach (powder):  Good at grease, baked-on grime, soap scum and mildew.  Active ingredients:  silica (sand, an abrasive) and sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach).  We believe there is also a source of alkalinity and some surfactants.

• The Works Tub and Shower:  Good for soap-scum, mildew, food-stains and all sorts of mineral build-up.  Very rough on surfaces.  Use gloves or your hands will peel.  Active ingredient:  phosphoric acid (the acid strips lime scale and hard water deposits).

• Murphy's Oil Soap:  Was not tested by Consumer Reports.  However, it works very well on wood floors and as a laundry pre-spotter on tough stains like grass, blood and earth.  

The following cleaners that didn't work well on any of the stains tested:

In general:  

• Products with bleach performed much better on mildew than other products.  

• Different lines of the same product (i.e. antibacterial, lemon scented, with bleach, gel, paste, liquid, etc..) performed remarkably differently in tests and removed very different stains.

Recognizing Commercial Cleaner Ingredients

This list is by no means exhaustive, however, the following is a list of common commercial cleaning ingredients and what they do.  For definitions to terms used frequently below (i.e. surfactant, emulsification, solvent) please see common cleaning definitions.  

Alkyl Benzenesulfonates:  Long carbon chain attached to benzene--a carbon ring-- and SO₃.  Example: sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate.  Alkyl benzenesulfonates have the heaviest usage of the non-soap surfactants. These surfactants have almost entirely replaced soaps in household laundry products. Unfortunately, these surfactants are only slowly biodegradable.  They are widely used in laundry, hand-dishwashing products and hard-surface cleaners.

Alkyl Phosphates:  A long carbon chain attached to PO₄.  Surfactants usually not used in cleaners unless the water quality is known to be pure.  The calcium and magnesium salts of these surfactants are insoluble, so their performance in hard water is poor and they are unstable in acids.  They are used in industrial cleaning and dry-cleaning fluids.

Alkyl Sulfates:  A long carbon chain attached to SO₄.  Examples:  sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS.  Alkyl sulfates are commonly used surfactants. They have been found to have similar feel and emolliency properties to soaps. They are often found in laundry products and in carpet cleaners. (Their use in carpet cleaners is because many of them can make a rich foam that is low in water content.)

Alkyl Sulfonates: An anionic surfactant.  Used in low levels in hand-dishwashing detergents.  

Ammonium Chlorides and Saccharinates:  Examples:  n-alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, dedecyl ammonium chloride, diakly ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate etc.  Various ammonium chlorides are used for antibacterial purposes.  Chlorine disrupts many cell functions, killing bacteria.

Calcium Carbonate:  Also:  Limestone.  Used as an abrasive.

Citric Acid:  Lemon Juice.

Enzymes:  Examples: Lipase, Protease, Amylose, Cellulose.  Some commercial cleaners include enzymes to 'naturally' break up stains.  Lipases consume fats, oils and greases.  Proteases consume proteins.  Amyloses break up starches.  Celluloses break up paper, vegetable matter, shampoo thickeners and food.  In some ways these processes are natural as these enzymes are the same enzymes found in living organisms and bacteria to break up their food sources.  Of course, it is still a commercial cleaner, which means there may be many other ingredients used that are not actually listed on the bottle.  

Ethanol:  Examples:  CH₃CH₂OH, Ethyl Alcohol, Grain Alcohol.  Like rubbing alcohol, ethyl alcohol is a good solvent and disinfectant.  

Glycol Esters:  Examples:  diethylene glycol monostearate, ethylene glycol saturated fatty acid diester, ethylene glycol saturated fatty acid esters, propylene glycol dioleate, propylene glycol tricapryl catprate.  Used in cleaning products from shampoos to degreasers as an emulsifier, thickening and dispersing agent. 

Hydrogen Chloride:  Examples:  HCl, hydrochloric acid, anhydrous hydrochloric acid,
hydrochloride, muriatic acid, spirits of salt, chlorohydric acid, emulsion bowl cleaner.  Is highly acidic and used in metal and toilet bowl cleaners.   

Hydrogen Peroxide:  H₂O₂.  Used for its antibacterial and bleaching properties.  

Hydrotrope:  Examples: C₈H₉NaO₃S, dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid sodium salt, sodium xylenesulfonate, sodium xylene sulphonate, hydrotrope, naxonate, numerous trade names.  Used to stabilize the acidity or alkalinity of a solution by stabilizing other surfactants to allow them to remain soluble.  Hydrotropes are used in hard-core cleaners in need of high acidity or alkalinity such as drain cleaners.

Isopropanol:  Rubbing Alcohol.  Used for its antibacterial and solvent properties in many household cleaners including Windex and 409.  

Laureth/Lauryl Sulfates:  Examples:  Sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate.  Common surfactants.  Used in everything from hairspray to handsoap.

o-Phenylphenol Sodium Salt:  Examples: C₆H₅C₆H₄ONa. 4H₂O, 2-hydroxybiphenyl sodium salt, o-phenylphenol sodium salt, sodium o-phenylphenate, sodium ortho-phenylphenate, Dowicide A, 2-biphenylol sodium salt, Dowicide, preventolon, topane, natriphene, mildurid, DCS, sodium o-phenylphenoxide, sodium 2-hydroxydiphenyl, sodium 2-phenylphenate, sodium o-phenylphenolate, SOPP, Bactrol, Dorvicide A, orphenol, topane, stopmold B, various other non-systematic and trade names.  Used as a fungicide (kills mold) in kitchen and bathroom cleaners.  Possible carcinigen.

Silica:  Sand.  Used as an abrasive.

Sodium Bicarbonate:  Baking Soda.

Sodium Carbonate:  Washing Soda.

Sodium Chloride:  NaCl.  Table Salt.  Used as an abrasive.

Sodium Hydroxide:  Examples:  NaOH, lye or caustic soda.  Used in a variety of household cleaners requiring strong alkalinity (drain cleaners, oven cleaners).  Is one of the main chemicals used in making soap.

Sodium Hypochlorite:  NaOCl.  Bleach.  Used in a wide variety of household cleaners.

Sodium Silicate:  Examples:  Na₂O.NSiO₂, waterglass.  Sodium Silicate is created from sand and washing soda (sodium carbonate) and is often used in drain cleaners and dishwashing detergent.  Soluble silicates are a source of buffered alkalinity and they provide soil suspension. The buffered alkali aids in cleaning by neutralizing or emulsifying soils while it also maintains a moderate pH by neutralizing acidic soils.  Sodium Silicate also acts as a corrosion inhibitor for metals by protecting them from alkaline attack.

Sulfosuccinates:  Similar in structure to alkyl sulfonates, but have two carbon chains attached to SO₃ by oxygens.  The sulfosuccinate surfactant sodium di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (sold under the name Aerosol-OT or AOT) is a good wetting agent and emulsifier.

Triclosan:  C₁₂H₇C_l3O₂.  A broad spectrum antibacterial/antimicrobial agent used in many dishwashing soaps, hand soaps and toothpastes.  It is a fairly new product and there is currently a hot debate going on about its possible carcinogenic-properties. 

References:

About.com--Soap and Saponification;  How Does Soap Clean;  How Does Borax Clean
Allabouthome.com--Cleaning Tips
Chemistry.co.nz--Detergent Info
Kcpc.usyd.edu.au--Soaps
Madsci.org -- Search the Archive
Newton.dep.anl.gov -- Search the Archive
Pathtofreedom.com--A Guide to Homemade Cleaners
Sciencenet.org.uk--Search Science Net Archive
Suncitysoap.com -- Understanding Commercial Soaps and Detergents

Content writing and research for this site done by Writer & Copywriter Wintress Odom.