Q. Are there anything other than intentionally added ingredients in cleaning products?
A. Yes. Cleaning products primarily contain intentionally added ingredients that help them clean effectively, such as surfactants, builders, solvents, enzymes, preservatives, fragrances, and other functional ingredients. In some cases, cleaning products may also contain extremely small amounts of substances that are not intentionally added for a cleaning function. These are often called trace chemicals, trace substances, or trace levels.
What are trace chemicals in cleaning products?
Trace chemicals are substances that may be present in a product at very low levels, even though they are not added to perform a specific function. They can come from raw materials, manufacturing processes, chemical reactions during formulation, product packaging, or normal changes that happen as a product ages on the shelf.
Trace substances are not unique to cleaning products. They can occur throughout everyday life because the world is not sterile and everything is made of chemicals. For example, apple juice and grape juice can contain naturally occurring formaldehyde because formaldehyde occurs naturally in apples and grapes. Bleach may contain small amounts of salt because salt can form as bleach gradually breaks down over time.
How much is a trace amount?
A trace amount is an extremely small concentration, often measured in parts per million, parts per billion, or even parts per trillion. These measurements help scientists describe very small amounts of a substance in a product.
- One part per million is about one drop in 10 gallons of water, a few drops in a bathtub, or the space a credit card would take up on a football field.
- One part per billion is much smaller, about one drop in a swimming pool.
- One part per trillion is smaller still, roughly equal to one grain of sugar in a volume of water the size of 35 Olympic swimming pools.
Are trace chemicals in cleaning products safe?
Trace chemicals in cleaning products are evaluated based on the amount present, the potential exposure, and the established safety thresholds for that substance. At the very low levels typically found in products, trace chemicals are considered safe when they are below science-based safety limits. Risk assessments, regulatory reviews, and peer-reviewed scientific studies help determine safe concentrations for cleaning products used in homes, workplaces, and public spaces.
Why are consumers hearing more about trace chemicals now?
Consumers may be hearing more about trace chemicals because testing technology has become increasingly sensitive. Scientists can now detect hundreds of substances at extremely low levels in foods, water, consumer products, and the environment. Better detection does not automatically mean a product is unsafe; it means scientists can measure smaller and smaller amounts with greater precision.
Cleaning product manufacturers continue to use science, innovation, and quality controls to reduce or remove trace substances where feasible, meet regulatory requirements, and respond to consumer expectations while maintaining product safety and performance.
Key takeaway: Cleaning products are made with ingredients that serve specific cleaning and product-performance purposes. Very small trace levels of other substances may also be present, but safety depends on the amount, exposure, and science-based thresholds—not simply whether a substance can be detected.
Last Updated: June 17, 2026