Cleaning agent

Cleaning agents or hard-surface cleaners are substances (usually liquids, powders, sprays, or granules) used to remove dirt, including dust, stains, foul odors, and clutter on surfaces.

[1] Purposes of cleaning agents include health, beauty, removing offensive odors, and avoiding the spread of dirt and contaminants to oneself and others.

Often, dispersants, to prevent redeposition of dissolved dirt, and chelants, to attack rust, are added to the alkaline agent.

Scouring agents are mixtures of the usual cleaning chemicals (surfactants, water softeners) as well as abrasive powders.

Pumice, calcium carbonate (limestone, chalk, dolomite), kaolinite, quartz, soapstone or talc are often used as abrasives, i.e. polishing agents.

These precursor agents include trichloroisocyanuric acid and mixtures of sodium hypochlorite ("chlorinated orthophosphate").

Examples of notable products include Ajax, Bar Keepers Friend, Bon Ami, Comet, Vim, Zud, and others.

[4] Aversive agents, such as denatonium, are occasionally added to cleaning products to discourage animals and small children from consuming them.

Some cleaners contain water-soluble organic solvents like glycol ethers and fatty alcohols, which ease the removal of oil, fat and paint.

Disinfectant additives include quaternary ammonium compounds, phenol derivatives, terpene alcohols (pine oil), aldehydes, and aldehyde-amine condensation products.

Toilet bowl cleaning often is aimed at removal of calcium carbonate deposits, which are attacked by acids.

Light duty hard surface cleaners are not intended to handle heavy dirt and grease.

Typical window cleaning items consist of alcohols, either ethanol or isopropanol like Windex, and surfactants for dissolving grease.