Cleaning Concentrate vs All-Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser: which is safer?

Force of Nature Cleaning Concentrate is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

Force of Nature Cleaning Concentrate

Force of Nature

Cleaning Concentrate

PFAS grade

Excellent 100/100

Overall grade

Good 74/100

Verdict

Buy with care

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Hypochlorous acid electrochemical solution

Confidence

92%

PossibleOxidizer / skin and eye irritation

PossibleBacterial contamination in product storage

LikelyChlorine gas formation if mixed with incompatible cleaners

Zep All-Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser

Zep

All-Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser

PFAS grade

Excellent 75/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

aqueous cleaning concentrate, surfactants and solvents

Confidence

55%

PossibleSurfactant and solvent skin irritation

PossibleInhalation exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

PossibleEye and respiratory irritation if misused

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Oxidizer / skin and eye irritation, Bacterial contamination in product storage and Chlorine gas formation if mixed with incompatible cleaners on the Force of Nature and not on the Zep.
  • We flag Surfactant and solvent skin irritation, Inhalation exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Eye and respiratory irritation if misused and Ingredient transparency gap on the Zep and not on the Force of Nature.
  • The Force of Nature is Hypochlorous acid electrochemical solution where the Zep is aqueous cleaning concentrate, surfactants and solvents, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 25 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Force of Nature is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Zep grade, at 55% confidence against 92%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More all-purpose cleaner, see the full ranking