The danger directory

What's really in your cleaning products.

Most cupboard cleaners are a cocktail of corrosives, irritants and hormone-disrupting chemicals — dangerous to your family, brutal on your pipes, and toxic to the Mediterranean they end up in. This is a plain-English guide to what those chemicals are, how to read a Spanish hazard label, and why we clean with nothing but hot steam.

Get a chemical-free clean → Jump to the directory ↓

⚠️ Never mix these — every year they send people to hospital

Lejía + AmoníacoBleach + ammonia → chloramine gas. Attacks the lungs; can be fatal in a closed room.

Lejía + Salfumán / ácido / vinagreBleach + any acid (incl. descaler or vinegar) → chlorine gas. Burns airways and eyes.

Lejía + AlcoholBleach + alcohol → chloroform and other toxic compounds.

Dos desatascadores distintosTwo different drain cleaners → violent heat/gas reaction that can erupt back out of the drain.

That last-resort combination of bleach and a drain acid to "shift a blockage" is one of the most dangerous things people do at home. The gas fills the room in seconds.

Read the label

How to read a Spanish cleaning label

Spanish products carry the same EU hazard system as everywhere else — you just need to know the words. Start with the pictogram (the red diamond), the signal word, and the frases H.

The pictograms (los pictogramas)

🧪

Corrosivo

Corrosive — burns skin, eyes and metals

GHS05

☠️

Tóxico

Toxic — can poison or kill, even in small amounts

GHS06

❗

Nocivo / Irritante

Harmful / irritant — irritation, allergy, drowsiness

GHS07

⚠️

Peligro para la salud

Serious health hazard — carcinogen, respiratory, organ damage

GHS08

🐟

Peligroso para el medio ambiente

Environmental hazard — toxic to aquatic life

GHS09

🔥

Inflamable

Flammable — catches fire easily

GHS02

⭕

Comburente

Oxidiser — intensifies fire

GHS03

💨

Gas a presión

Gas under pressure — can explode if heated

GHS04

💥

Explosivo

Explosive

GHS01

The signal word (la palabra de advertencia)

PELIGRODANGER — the more severe category. Take it seriously.

ATENCIÓNWARNING — less severe, but still hazardous.

The hazard phrases you'll actually see (frases H y P)

H314

“Provoca quemaduras graves en la piel y lesiones oculares”

Causes severe skin burns and eye damage

H318

“Provoca lesiones oculares graves”

Causes serious eye damage

H315

“Provoca irritación cutánea”

Causes skin irritation

H302

“Nocivo en caso de ingestión”

Harmful if swallowed

H335

“Puede irritar las vías respiratorias”

May cause respiratory irritation

H351

“Se sospecha que provoca cáncer”

Suspected of causing cancer

H400 / H410

“Muy tóxico para los organismos acuáticos”

Very toxic to aquatic life (long-lasting)

EUH031

“En contacto con ácidos libera gases tóxicos”

Contact with acids liberates toxic gas

EUH206

“¡Atención! No utilizar junto con otros productos. Puede desprender gases peligrosos (cloro)”

Do not mix with other products — may release dangerous gas (chlorine)

P102

“Mantener fuera del alcance de los niños”

Keep out of reach of children

P273

“Evitar su liberación al medio ambiente”

Avoid release to the environment

👉 The one to burn into memory: EUH206 — “No utilizar junto con otros productos”. If you see it, that product releases dangerous gas when mixed. Most bleaches carry it.

The directory

The chemicals, and what they actually do

Search by name (English or Spanish). Every entry lists the danger to your health, to the environment, and what happens down the drain.

Sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach)

Lejía / Hipoclorito de sodio

High

the classic all-purpose disinfectant

Found in: Bleach, mould sprays, many "disinfectant" cleaners and whiteners.
🫁 Health: Corrosive to skin, eyes and airways. Fumes trigger coughing and asthma. Releases toxic chlorine or chloramine gas the instant it meets an acid or ammonia.
🌊 Environment: Very toxic to aquatic life. Reacts with organic matter in water to form persistent, harmful organochlorine compounds (AOX).
🚰 Down the drain: Poured down the drain it keeps reacting with whatever it meets; in septic tanks it kills the bacteria the system needs to work.

Ammonia

Amoníaco

High

glass & multi-surface cleaners

Found in: Glass cleaners, floor cleaners, some multi-surface sprays.
🫁 Health: Corrosive vapour that burns the eyes and respiratory tract. With bleach it forms chloramine gas — one of the most common household poisonings.
🌊 Environment: Toxic to fish and aquatic organisms; contributes to nutrient pollution.
🚰 Down the drain: Adds nitrogen load to wastewater and can gas off dangerously if it meets bleach in the pipe.

Hydrochloric acid

Salfumán / Ácido clorhídrico

Severe

the Spanish drain & tile "miracle"

Found in: Toilet and drain uncloggers, tile and cement cleaners — extremely common in Spain.
🫁 Health: Severe chemical burns and toxic fumes. With bleach it makes chlorine gas. A leading cause of home chemical injuries here.
🌊 Environment: Strongly acidifies water and soil; toxic to aquatic life.
🚰 Down the drain: Corrodes metal pipes and joints over time, and disrupts the biology at the wastewater plant (EDAR). Never a "quick fix" without a cost.

Sulfuric acid

Ácido sulfúrico

Severe

heavy drain cleaners

Found in: Powerful drain unblockers.
🫁 Health: Causes severe, immediate burns and can permanently scar skin and eyes; fumes damage the lungs.
🌊 Environment: Highly acidic; damages soil, water and infrastructure.
🚰 Down the drain: Generates intense heat in the pipe, can crack older pipes and splash back violently.

Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda / lye)

Sosa cáustica / Hidróxido de sodio

Severe

oven & drain cleaners

Found in: Oven cleaners, caustic drain cleaners.
🫁 Health: Severe burns; contact with the eyes can cause blindness. Highly dangerous to swallow.
🌊 Environment: Strongly alkaline; harmful to aquatic life and soil.
🚰 Down the drain: Reacts and heats in the pipe; corrodes and damages plumbing and septic systems.

Phosphoric acid

Ácido fosfórico

Moderate

limescale & toilet cleaners

Found in: Descalers, limescale removers, some toilet cleaners.
🫁 Health: Irritant to corrosive; burns skin and eyes with prolonged contact.
🌊 Environment: Adds phosphates to water — a driver of eutrophication (algal blooms that suffocate rivers and coastal water).
🚰 Down the drain: Feeds the algae problem in the Mediterranean when it reaches the sea.

Oxalic acid

Ácido oxálico

Moderate

rust & grout whiteners, wood cleaners

Found in: Rust removers, grout whiteners, some wood cleaners.
🫁 Health: Toxic if swallowed; can damage the kidneys. Irritant to skin and eyes.
🌊 Environment: Toxic to aquatic organisms.
🚰 Down the drain: Persists and adds toxic load to wastewater.

Quaternary ammonium compounds ("quats")

Compuestos de amonio cuaternario / Cloruro de benzalconio

Moderate

disinfectant wipes & sprays

Found in: Antibacterial sprays, disinfectant wipes, fabric fresheners.
🫁 Health: A recognised trigger of occupational asthma and skin allergy with repeated exposure.
🌊 Environment: Toxic to aquatic life and slow to break down; linked to antimicrobial resistance.
🚰 Down the drain: Passes through treatment and accumulates in sludge and waterways.

Triclosan

Triclosán

Moderate

"antibacterial" additives

Found in: Some antibacterial cleaners and soaps.
🫁 Health: Endocrine (hormone) disruptor concerns; contributes to antibiotic resistance.
🌊 Environment: Persistent in water and sediment; toxic to aquatic organisms.
🚰 Down the drain: Survives treatment and builds up in rivers and the sea.

Phosphates

Fosfatos

Moderate

detergents & dishwasher tablets

Found in: Some detergents and dishwasher products (now restricted in the EU, but still present in older or imported stock).
🫁 Health: Low direct toxicity.
🌊 Environment: A primary cause of eutrophication — algal blooms that starve water of oxygen and kill fish.
🚰 Down the drain: Feeds algal blooms all the way to the coast.

Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)

Nonilfenol etoxilado

High

surfactants in cheap cleaners

Found in: Some imported/industrial detergents and cleaners (restricted in the EU).
🫁 Health: Endocrine disruptor.
🌊 Environment: Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic to aquatic life — one of the reasons it is restricted.
🚰 Down the drain: Breaks down into an even more hormone-active pollutant in water.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehído

High

preservative in cleaners & polishes

Found in: Preservatives in some cleaners, polishes and air fresheners (sometimes as "formaldehyde releasers").
🫁 Health: Classified as a known human carcinogen; irritates the eyes, nose and throat.
🌊 Environment: Toxic to aquatic organisms.
🚰 Down the drain: Adds a toxic, volatile load to wastewater.

Glycol ethers (e.g. 2-butoxyethanol)

Éteres de glicol / Butilglicol

Moderate

glass & multi-surface sprays

Found in: Glass and multi-surface cleaners, degreasers.
🫁 Health: Can damage red blood cells and, at higher exposure, affect fertility and the unborn child.
🌊 Environment: Moderately toxic to aquatic life.
🚰 Down the drain: Volatile organic load in wastewater and indoor air.

Perchloroethylene (PERC)

Percloroetileno

High

dry-cleaning & spot removers

Found in: Dry-cleaning fluid, some stain and spot removers.
🫁 Health: Probable human carcinogen; affects the nervous system and can cause dizziness and headaches.
🌊 Environment: Persistent; a notorious groundwater contaminant.
🚰 Down the drain: Contaminates soil and groundwater for years if disposed of down a drain.

Phthalates

Ftalatos

Moderate

hidden in "perfume / parfum"

Found in: Fragrance in many scented cleaners and air fresheners (listed only as "parfum").
🫁 Health: Endocrine disruptors linked to reproductive and developmental effects.
🌊 Environment: Persistent and bioaccumulative in water and sediment.
🚰 Down the drain: Builds up in waterways; you never see it because it hides behind "fragrance".

Methylisothiazolinone (MI/MIT)

Metilisotiazolinona

Moderate

preservative allergen

Found in: Preservative in many water-based cleaners and detergents.
🫁 Health: One of the strongest contact allergens in everyday products — a common cause of hand dermatitis.
🌊 Environment: Toxic to aquatic life.
🚰 Down the drain: Adds a sensitising, aquatic-toxic load to wastewater.

Optical brighteners

Blanqueadores ópticos

Moderate

detergents that "whiten"

Found in: Laundry detergents and some surface cleaners.
🫁 Health: Skin irritation and allergy in sensitive people.
🌊 Environment: Poorly biodegradable and toxic to aquatic organisms; they do not clean, they just trick the eye.
🚰 Down the drain: Persist in water because they are designed not to wash out.

EDTA (chelating agent)

EDTA / Ácido etilendiaminotetraacético

Moderate

water softener in cleaners

Found in: Many detergents and cleaners, to soften hard water.
🫁 Health: Low direct toxicity.
🌊 Environment: Very poorly biodegradable; re-mobilises heavy metals already sitting in river and sea sediment.
🚰 Down the drain: Passes through treatment untouched and drags old pollutants back into the water.

VOCs & synthetic fragrance

COV / Compuestos orgánicos volátiles y fragancias

Moderate

air fresheners & scented sprays

Found in: Air fresheners, scented sprays, "fresh" cleaners.
🫁 Health: Trigger headaches, allergies and asthma; some react indoors to form formaldehyde and fine particles.
🌊 Environment: Contribute to indoor and outdoor air pollution.
🚰 Down the drain: Off-gas into the air you breathe rather than truly "cleaning" anything.

Sodium perborate

Perborato de sodio

Moderate

oxygen bleach (older type)

Found in: Some oxygen bleaches and stain removers.
🫁 Health: A source of boron, with reproductive-toxicity concerns at exposure.
🌊 Environment: Adds boron load to water.
🚰 Down the drain: Contributes boron to wastewater (sodium percarbonate is the safer modern alternative).

Down the drain

Where it all ends up — and why it matters here

Your pipes

Acids and caustics corrode metal joints and seals from the inside. The "quick unblock" quietly shortens the life of your plumbing.

Septic tanks

Many Costa del Sol villas run on a fosa séptica. Bleach and disinfectants kill the bacteria the tank needs to work — and a dead tank is an expensive problem.

The treatment plant

Wastewater plants (EDAR) clean sewage with living bacteria. Slugs of disinfectant and corrosives disrupt that biology, so more pollution slips through.

The Mediterranean

What isn't removed — phosphates, persistent surfactants, endocrine disruptors — flows to the sea, feeding algal blooms and building up in marine life along the coast we all share.

Disposal & the law in Spain

Pouring hazardous chemicals down the sink or a storm drain isn't just harmful — it's against the rules. Leftover strong cleaners, solvents and their containers are household hazardous waste and should go to a Punto Limpio (clean point) or your town's collection service, not the drain. Businesses have stricter duties still under Spain's water and waste law.

General information, not legal advice — check your local council (ayuntamiento) rules and, for a business, your obligations with a gestor.

The simplest way to avoid all of this? Don't use it.

We clean sofas, mattresses, carpets, tiles and grout across the Costa del Sol with hot dry steam — heat, not chemistry. Nothing corrosive in your home, nothing toxic down your drain, and safe for children, pets and allergy sufferers. Read more on what “eco cleaning” actually means.

Get a free quote See what we clean →