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What do cleaning ingredients do?
The industry is committed to helping you understand what ingredients are in your cleaning products and why they are there so that you can make informed buying decisions. These ingredient function definitions have been developed through validated consumer research to provide standardized industry language that helps demystify the ingredient list and empower consumer understanding.
| Ingredient | Function |
| Abrasive | An ingredient that scrubs off dirt as you rub surfaces. |
| Antimicrobial | This ingredient kills or reduces the growth of microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, molds, and yeasts on surfaces. |
| Bittering Agent | An ingredient that imparts a bitter taste to enhance safety. |
| Bleach | An ingredient that removes colored stains. |
| Brightener | An ingredient that helps enhance the brightness of whites and colors in fabrics. |
| Carrier | An inactive ingredient that is used to deliver the active ingredients. |
| Cleaning Agent | An ingredient that helps products clean by loosening and dissolving soil in water. |
| Colorant | A dye or other ingredient that provides color. |
| Defoamer | An ingredient that prevents excessive foaming. |
| Denaturant | An ingredient added to alcohol to make it unfit for consumption. |
| Deodorizer | An ingredient that removes or masks odor. |
| Dissolvable Film | A film that dissolves in water. |
| Enzyme | This ingredient is a biological cleaner that helps break down dirt such as starches, grass, and blood. |
| Enzyme Stabilizer | An ingredient added to keep enzymes stable until used. |
| Fabric Softener | An ingredient added to improve the feel and softness of fabrics and/or reduce static. |
| Foam Booster | An ingredient that boosts foam production. |
| Fragrance | An ingredient that provides scent or neutralizes odor. |
| Greasy Soil Remover | A component that is primarily added to remove grease, oils, and fats. |
| Laundry Cleaning Booster | An ingredient that helps prevent dinginess, helps removes oily soils and prevents dyes from spreading. |
| Metal Surface Protector | A substance that reduces corrosion of metals caused by a cleaning product. |
| Microbial Cleaning Agent | Microbes that help break down grime, grease and other organic soils. |
| Moisturizer | An ingredient that prevents the loss of moisture. |
| Opacifier | An ingredient added to enhance the products appearance. |
| pH Adjuster | This ingredient changes the pH of the product to improve performance and stability. |
| pH Stabilizer | This ingredient keeps the pH of the cleaning product within a specific range to be most effective and safe. |
| Preservative | An ingredient that prevents spoilage. |
| Processing Aid | An inactive ingredient added to assist during production. |
| Propellant | A pressurized ingredient that creates a fine spray or foam. |
| Rust and Hard Water Stain Remover | An ingredient that is added to remove rust and hard water deposits. |
| Shine Enhancer | A material that creates a shiny appearance on surfaces. |
| Soil Dissolver | This ingredient helps with cleaning by breaking up stains and dissolving soil so that they can be easily removed. |
| Stabilizer | An ingredient that maintains product appearance. |
| Stain Repellant | An ingredient that prevents soils and stains from sticking to your fabrics. |
| Static Reducer | A substance that reduces buildup of static electricity on a surface. |
| Tablet Disintegrant | An ingredient that helps aid in the dissolving of product. |
| Thickener | A substance which increases the thickness of a liquid. |
| Thinner | A substance which decreases the thickness of a liquid. |
| UV Light Absorber | A substance that absorbs harmful UV light. |
| Water Softener / Soap Scum Remover | This ingredient improves cleaning by removing minerals in hard water like calcium or magnesium. |
| Water Spot Repellant | An ingredient that prevents water spots from building up on surfaces. |
| Wipe | The clothlike material used to deliver cleaning products. |