Our use of cleaning products has increased significantly since Covid-19. But some of the products we're using to clean our homes come with their own health risks.

Humans have been cleaning with chemical agents for around 5,000 years. Ancient Romans' version of the professional cleaner was the "urine scrubber", after it was discovered that urine could be used to clean fabrics. Thankfully, we've come a long way since then.

More recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed our everyday hygiene habits, with many people becoming more conscious of potential pathogens in the home.

Our use of cleaning products increased substantially during the pandemic, according to a Finnish study. Scientists found that, during this period, people cleaned 70% more often, and the amount of cleaning products they used increased by 75%.

Household cleaning products, including antibacterial spays, promise to kill most of the harmful bacteria in our toilets, on our kitchen surfaces and elsewhere around our homes.

But there's a growing body of scientific evidence showing that they can also increase our exposure to various harmful chemical air contaminants and particulate matter.

What are the risks involved with cleaning our homes regularly – and should we be worried about the products we're using?

Using household cleaning products is one of the "modifiable risk factors" of asthma, says Emilie Pacheco Da Silva, postdoctoral researcher at Inserm, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, where she specialises in the asthma effects of disinfectants and cleaning products.

This means it's a behaviour that can be changed to lower the risk of developing the condition and experiencing symptoms.

Scientists, who in 2024 analysed 77 studies looking into the health effects of household cleaning products, concluded that they can have a harmful effect on respiratory health. In particular, cleaning products applied in spray form are suggested to have more harmful effects on the respiratory system than liquids and wipes.

The scientists found that regular use of cleaning sprays increases the risk of developing asthma, triggering current asthma, and poorly controlled asthma in adults, and wheezing in children.

Specifically, using sprays between four and seven times a week has been associated with an increased risk of asthma in young adults, and there is some evidence that symptoms worsen with increased use. Researchers say sprays are worse than other types of cleaning products because the chemicals become airborne and therefore it is easier for us to inhale larger amounts.

Some studies the researchers looked at also found a link between exposure to cleaning products during pregnancy and persistent wheezing in early childhood. These products can pose an even greater risk to children, they add, who breathe faster than adults.

One reason for this is because using cleaning products produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can cause ear, nose and throat irritation.

"There's enough evidence to know that cleaning products are harmful to some people, particularly if they use them a lot. What's harder is which specific chemicals cause damage," says Nicola Carslaw, professor of indoor air chemistry at the University of York in the UK.

However, there's some evidence suggesting that there's more risk associated with certain chemicals, including chlorine, ammonia, hydrochloric acid, chloramine and sodium hydroxide, as these are corrosive and reactive irritants that, when inhaled, may damage tissues at a cellular level.

In recent years, there has

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