Too often cleaning products are labelled as "natural" and marketed to suggest that "natural" cleaning products are safer for you. With an increasing awareness of the toxic ingredients in our food, bathroom, and cleaning products, more and more consumers are demanding safer alternatives, but the complete lack of regulations on these industries allows companies to use deceitful marketing and keep ingredients a closely guarded secret.

The Environmental Working Group is an organization that was founded by a team of researchers that felt strongly about bringing product safety information to the public. They saw the complete lack of regulation on harmful ingredients and the lack of interest from the government to do anything about it. They decided to bring the existing scientific knowledge to the public directly via their database.

Do you use any of the cleaners on their Hall of Shame?

Of particular note are Glade and Air Wick for their air fresheners that contain warnings: "fatal if inhaled".

A good tip is to always ensure a full ingredient list is on the cleaner you are purchasing as this is not a legal requirement for cleaning products. Also, keep an eye out for lists like "fragrance, natural surfectants, water". This is not an ingredient list. If the cleaner does not list the surfectants they are using it is a fake ingredient list meant to deceive consumers into thinking that the product is natural. Truly safe cleaners are proud to list their ingredients as it is their selling feature.