Challenges to consumers in choosing cleaning products: Poor performing products and problematic ingredients

The NordQual project, financed by the EU Consumer Programme, is a one-year cooperation between consumer organizations in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden to evaluate household cleaners.

Based on product testing and desk research on 166 household cleaning products, the project identified challenges to consumers in choosing effective products that minimize impacts to health and the environment. One challenge is poor performing products. Some products do not do the cleaning job consumers expect. Another challenge is problematic chemicals where some ingredients can be harmful to health or the environment.