Free Sample
The Complete Handbook of Household Cleaning Products
A professional's guide to selecting, using, and maintaining cleaning chemicals, tools, and equipment
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: Understanding Household Cleaning Products
The universe of household cleaning products stretches far beyond the colorful bottles under your sink. At its core, this category encompasses any formulated substance or physical tool designed to remove unwanted matter—soil, grease, microbes, or mineral deposits—from a surface. This is not a trivial distinction. A product's sole purpose is to alter the state of a surface by breaking the bond between that surface and the contaminant. To use these items effectively, you must understand them as chemical and mechanical systems, not just as "soap" or "cleaner."
Consider a common problem: a greasy stovetop. You can attack it with a degreaser, a scouring pad, and elbow grease. The degreaser contains solvents that dissolve the grease. The scouring pad provides an abrasive force to mechanically dislodge the food residue. Your elbow grease ensures that both the chemical and the mechanical action are applied with enough pressure to break the physical bond. You rarely use one method alone; effective cleaning is almost always a combination of chemistry, mechanics, time, and temperature. The person who understands this interplay is the person who can solve a cleaning problem without resorting to a dozen different specialty products.
The definition of a cleaning product, for the purpose of this handbook, includes a few distinct categories. There are general-purpose cleaners (often called all-purpose cleaners, or APCs), which are formulated to be mild and versatile across many surfaces. There are specialty cleaners, such as degreasers, descalers, and glass cleaners, which are