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What chemicals are in Universal Cleaner?Updated 10 days ago

TL;DR: Two of them. Universal Cleaner is potassium hydroxide and laboratory grade purified water. Potassium hydroxide is the alkali that does the cleaning, and the purified water is filtered to remove the minerals and impurities tap water carries, so it dries without spotting. The alkaline formulation is what cuts through cooking grease and organic matter, making it easier to clean. No added fragrance, no phosphates, no parabens, no chlorine, no bleach, no added surfactants, no dyes, no preservatives and no animal-derived ingredients. Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) certified, Allergy UK certified, Sensitive Choice approved and Eczema Association of Australasia recognised. Made in Australia.

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Koh Universal Cleaner box
Koh Universal Cleaner GECA eco-certified

What chemicals are in Universal Cleaner?

Two: potassium hydroxide and laboratory grade purified water. Potassium hydroxide is the alkali that does the cleaning work, breaking down fats, oils and greasy soils so they wipe away. Laboratory grade purified water is water pushed through a fine membrane to strip out the minerals and impurities tap water carries, which is why Koh Universal Cleaner dries without the spotting tap water leaves on glass and stainless steel. Together they make an alkaline formulation, and that is what cuts through cooking grease and organic matter. Nothing else is added: no fragrance, no phosphates, no parabens, no chlorine, no bleach, no added surfactants, no dyes and no preservatives.

✓ What's in the box

Two ingredients, both named on the pack. Potassium hydroxide is the alkali that does the cleaning work. Laboratory grade purified water is filtered to remove the minerals and impurities tap water carries, so it dries without spotting.

That is the whole formula. It is made in Australia, has an 18-month shelf life, and runs about 3 months of everyday cleaning in an average home.

Potassium hydroxide Laboratory grade purified water Alkaline formulation 18-month shelf life Made in Australia

What does potassium hydroxide do?

Potassium hydroxide is an alkali, and alkalis are what break down fats, oils and greasy soils in cleaning. That is why Koh Universal Cleaner handles kitchen grime, bathroom scum and the film that builds on glass with one formula rather than several. Laboratory grade purified water is stripped of the minerals in tap water, so it dries without spotting on glass and stainless steel. Together they make a higher alkaline solution, and the alkaline formulation is what cuts through cooking grease and organic matter, making it easier to clean. That is also why you spot test unfamiliar surfaces, keep it off unsealed stone and bare aluminium, and rinse anything food will touch.

✓ Potassium hydroxide, the alkali

Alkalis break down fats, oils and greasy soils, which is why one formula handles kitchen grime, bathroom scum and the film that builds on glass. The alkaline formulation is what cuts through cooking grease and organic matter, making it easier to clean, and that is the whole cleaning mechanism.

Practical consequences: spot test unfamiliar surfaces, keep it off unsealed stone and bare aluminium, and rinse anything food will touch.

Lifts fats and oils Higher alkaline solution Spot test first

✓ Laboratory grade purified water

Water pushed through a fine membrane to strip out the minerals and impurities tap water carries. That is why it dries without the spotting you get on glass and stainless steel, and why no anti-spotting additive is needed.

Ultra-pure No spotting on glass No additives

What's not in the formula?

Koh Universal Cleaner contains no added fragrance, no phosphates, no parabens, no chlorine, no bleach, no added surfactants, no dyes, no preservatives and no animal-derived ingredients. It is vegan and cruelty-free. Absences are the part of a formula you can verify, and these are the ones customers ask about most often: perfume for people managing asthma and allergies, chlorine bleach for anyone worried about fumes or colour damage, and preservatives for anyone reading labels for a specific ingredient.

✓ Not in the formula

No added fragrance. No phosphates. No parabens. No chlorine. No bleach. No added surfactants. No dyes. No preservatives. No animal-derived ingredients.

Those are the absences customers ask about most: perfume if you are managing asthma or allergies, chlorine bleach if fumes or colour damage are the worry, and preservatives if you are reading labels for a specific ingredient.

No added fragrance No phosphates No parabens No chlorine bleach No dyes Vegan and cruelty-free

What do the independent certifications cover?

Koh Universal Cleaner is Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) certified, which is an independent Australian environmental standard covering formulation, packaging and manufacture. It is approved under the National Asthma Council of Australia's Sensitive Choice program, certified by Allergy UK and recognised by the Eczema Association of Australasia, which are three separate assessments against sensitivity criteria. It is vegan and cruelty-free, and it is made in Australia. Each of those is a bounded assessment by a named body against published criteria, which is a more useful thing to know than a general claim.

✓ Four independent bodies, four different criteria

GECA certified, an independent Australian environmental standard covering formulation, packaging and manufacture. Sensitive Choice approved by the National Asthma Council of Australia. Allergy UK certified. Eczema Association of Australasia recognised.

Each is a bounded assessment by a named body against published criteria. Vegan, cruelty-free, and made in Australia.

GECA certified Allergy UK certified Sensitive Choice approved Eczema Association of Australasia recognised Vegan Cruelty-free Made in Australia

Koh Universal Cleaner

Universal Cleaner

GECA certified, Allergy UK certified, Sensitive Choice approved, Eczema Association of Australasia recognised. Two ingredients, used undiluted, made in Australia. Runs about 3 months in an average home.

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Last reviewed: September 2026 · Koh Australia

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