Turn over most cleaning products and you'll find an ingredients list that's almost impossible to read. Long chemical names, abbreviations, things that sound vaguely alarming and things that mean nothing at all.
Most people give up and put the bottle back. Which is exactly what most cleaning brands are counting on.
We think you should know what's in the products you use every day. So here's a plain English guide to what those ingredients actually are, what they do, and what's worth paying attention to.
Why do cleaning products have so many ingredients?
A cleaning product needs to do several jobs at once. It needs to lift dirt and grease, keep the formula stable, smell pleasant, feel good to use, and last on the shelf. Each of those jobs tends to require a different ingredient - which is why even a simple washing up liquid can have a surprisingly long list.
Not all ingredients are equal. Some do essential work. Some are there for aesthetics. And some are worth knowing about if you have sensitive skin, young children, or simply want to understand what you're bringing into your home.
What are surfactants and are they safe?
Surfactants are the cleaning workhorses. They're in almost every cleaning product - washing up liquid, all purpose cleaner, shampoo, laundry detergent. Their job is to break the bond between grease or dirt and the surface you're cleaning, so water can rinse it away.
The word surfactant sounds alarming but the concept is simple: they make water better at cleaning.
The difference worth knowing about is where they come from. Petroleum-derived surfactants are cheap and effective but harder on skin and slower to break down. Plant-derived surfactants do the same job more gently and biodegrade more readily.
At Colt & Willow we use plant-derived surfactants in both our Rhubarb Washing Up Liquid and our Geranium All Purpose Cleaner. Same cleaning power, kinder on skin and hands.
What are preservatives in cleaning products?
Preservatives stop cleaning products going off on the shelf. Without them, water-based products would grow bacteria and mould within weeks.
Common preservatives include methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and benzisothiazolinone (BIT). They're regulated and considered safe at the levels used in cleaning products, though some people with very sensitive skin find certain preservatives irritating.
According to the European Chemicals Agency, preservatives in cleaning products are subject to strict concentration limits designed to balance preservation with safety. If you have particularly sensitive skin it's worth checking labels for MIT and BIT specifically.
What does fragrance mean on a cleaning product label?
Fragrance is a catch-all term that can cover hundreds of different scent compounds. It doesn't tell you much about what's actually creating the smell.
Some fragrances are derived from natural sources - essential oils, plant extracts. Some are synthetically created. Neither is inherently better or worse - what matters is the quality of the fragrance and whether it works for your household.
At Colt & Willow we list our ingredients clearly and will always tell you what we're using and why. If you ever have a question about a specific ingredient in any of our products, drop us an email at hi@coltandwillow.com - we're happy to talk you through it.
What ingredients are worth avoiding in cleaning products?
A few things genuinely worth looking out for:
Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) - effective at disinfecting but harsh on surfaces, skin and lungs with regular use. Not necessary for everyday cleaning.
Ammonia - a powerful degreaser but produces fumes that irritate airways. Common in glass cleaners.
Phosphates - effective water softeners but problematic for waterways and aquatic life. Many countries have now restricted their use in cleaning products.
Parabens - preservatives linked to skin sensitivity in some people. Worth avoiding if you have reactive skin.
Phthalates - synthetic chemicals often hidden under the word "fragrance" on an ingredients list. They're used to make scent last longer but are widely recognised as endocrine disruptors, meaning they can interfere with hormone function with repeated exposure. Worth looking out for on any product that lists "fragrance" without further detail.
We don't use phthalates in any Colt & Willow product.
None of the other ingredients listed above are in our products either. Not because we're making a virtue of it but because we simply don't think they're necessary for effective everyday cleaning.
How do you read a cleaning product ingredients list?
Ingredients are listed in order of concentration - the first ingredient is present in the largest amount, the last in the smallest. Water (aqua) is usually first in most cleaning products.
If you see an ingredient you don't recognise, the European Chemicals Agency database is the most reliable place to look it up. It's dry reading but it's accurate.
We're working on a dedicated ingredients page for coltandwillow.com that lists every ingredient in every product with a plain English explanation of what it does and why we chose it. Because we think that's just the right thing to do.
The bottom line
You don't need a chemistry degree to make good choices about cleaning products. You just need a brand that's honest with you about what's in them.
That's what Colt & Willow is here for.
Shop the Geranium All Purpose Cleaner Shop the Rhubarb Washing Up Liquid