What’s in affresh^® Tablets & Liquid Cleaners?

If you’re wondering what is in affresh® appliance care cleaners for your washing machine, dishwasher, glass top stove or cooktop, coffee maker, ice machine or garbage disposal, use this ingredients list as a guide. All affresh® cleaners are septic-safe, and all dishwasher, washer, and disposal tablets are made with EPA Safer Choice ingredients.

While we aren’t giving away the secret formula, we can break down the main ingredients in our products so you’ll know what you’re using when you clean your appliances.

What are the main ingredients of affresh® cleaners?

Although every formula is different, the main active ingredients in affresh® tablets are sodium carbonate (washing soda) and sodium percarbonate (oxygen-based bleach). These septic-safe ingredients cut through grime, remove residues that cause odors, and rinse away as oxygen and water.

Ingredients in each tablet are specialized for the kinds of residue each appliance can accumulate. For best results, use the affresh® appliance cleaner product designed for that specific appliance.

Liquid cleanser ingredients for ice machines and glass cooktop cleaning are different. Read on to learn what each affresh® cleaner is made of.

What is in affresh® washer cleaner?

There are two active ingredients in affresh® washing machine cleaner, and they are common ones you likely already know and use:

Sodium percarbonate: This is commonly known as “oxygen-based bleach” or “oxygen bleach.” It doesn’t contain any chlorine and is safe for stainless steel appliances and your pipes. Sodium percarbonate releases hydrogen peroxide when it contacts water, which can help remove grime and odor-causing residues.
Sodium carbonate: Commonly known as washing soda or soda ash, this ingredient in affresh® washing machine cleaner is also found in laundry and dishwashing detergents, all-purpose cleaners, sanitizing sprays, and in soap and glass making. Soda ash helps cuts through grease and softens water. You’ll also see sodium carbonate on the labels of many green cleaning products.

In addition to these active ingredients in affresh® washing machine cleaner, each tablet also contains:

Polyethylene glycol, an ingredient used in many laundry detergents, shampoos, cosmetics and even in pharmaceuticals. It helps keep the tablet together and helps it to foam and dissolve slowly after contact with water.
Glucono-delta-lactone, a common food additive that helps keep affresh® washer cleaner tablets from breaking down in their package.
Sodium acetate also helps bind the tablets. You only want them to start working their magic once they come in contact with water in your washing machine!
Time-release ingredients affresh® washing machine cleaner contains time-release ingredients for an extended cleaning throughout the clean wash cycle.
Fragrance. affresh® washing machine cleaner has a fantastic scent that leaves your washer smelling fresh and clean.

Learn how to clean your washing machine with the powerful ingredients in affresh® washer cleaner.

Ingredients in affresh® Dishwasher Cleaner

The ingredient list for affresh® dishwasher cleaner is similar to, but not the same as, what’s in affresh® washing machine cleaner. Your washing machine doesn’t deal with food debris buildup, for example, and each appliance gets different residue from the unique detergents. The ingredients in affresh® dishwasher cleaner include:

Sodium carbonate, aka washing soda or soda ash. See above.
Sodium bisulfate, a pH adjuster and descaler
Citric Acid, a pH adjuster to help the cleansers work more effectively. You’ll also find this ingredient in sodas, juice and candies, especially sour-flavored ones.
Polyethylene glycol, a processing aid to help maintain the tablet and disperse ingredients. See above.
Sodium benzoate, another processing aid
Sodium gluconate, a third processing aid
Sodium polyacrylate co-polymer, a water softener that helps the ingredients work on tough residue, including from hard water.
Sodium acetate, a buffer that helps bind the ingredients into tablet form. See above.

Follow our guide for how to clean a dishwasher to let the ingredients in affresh® dishwasher cleaner get to work on the residues that can cause dishwasher odor.

What’s in affresh® coffee maker cleaner?

Affresh® coffee maker cleaner is designed to counteract the residue and hard water scaling that coffee machines can get when not properly maintained. Ingredients in affresh® coffee maker cleaner include:

Sodium carbonate, aka soda ash, a buffer and builder that helps cut through grime.
Sodium bisulfate, a pH adjuster to help ingredients work better, and descaler.
Citric acid, a pH adjuster
Sodium gluconate, Sodium acetate, and Polyethylene glycol, processing aids that help bind the ingredients into tablet form and release them throughout the cleaning cycle.

Follow these steps for how to clean a coffee maker and descale your machine.

Ingredients in affresh® garbage disposal cleaner

If you’re wondering what’s in affresh® disposal cleaner, it’s more than the DIY baking soda and vinegar method. Affresh® disposal cleaner ingredients work together to help get rid of grime and odor-causing residues in your sink disposal and leave a fresh, clean scent.

Sodium percarbonate, aka oxygen-based bleach, an oxidizer.
Sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda, which acts as a buffer and reacts with acid ingredients to remove residues.
Citric acid, a pH adjuster, see above.
Sodium lauryl sulfate, a cleaning agent also found in laundry detergents, shampoos and body washes.
Sodium starch glycolate, glucono-delta-lactone, sodium acetate, and magnesium stearate, these salts and minerals are a processing aid and buffers to help maintain tablet form and release ingredients.
Fragrance

Here’s how to clean the garbage disposal in your sink with the powerful, septic-safe ingredients in affresh® disposal cleaner.

What’s in affresh® cooktop cleaner?

The ingredients in affresh® cooktop cleaner for glass top stoves fall into five categories: cleaning agents, solvents to hold them, glass-safe abrasives to remove burnt-on residue, thickening agents to create a liquid that will stay on the stovetop, and fragrance.

View the full ingredient disclosure for affresh® cooktop cleaner and review our steps for how to clean a glass top stove or cooktop.

Ingredients in affresh® ice machine cleaner

Your ice machine needs to be cleaned regularly to help keep your ice tasting great. These ingredients in affresh® ice machine cleaner work together to help descale and remove residues that can build up in your ice maker, especially if you have hard water.

Water
Sodium Bisulfate, a descaler and pH adjuster.
Citric Acid, a pH adjuster and descaler.
Colorants (Acid Green 9 and Acid Yellow 23)

Learn how to clean an ice maker in 7 easy steps with the septic-safe descaling ingredients in affresh® ice machine cleaner.

Use What’s in affresh® to Clean Your Appliances Monthly

Affresh® appliance cleaners make it easy to clean your washing machine, dishwasher, coffee maker, ice machine, disposal, or cooktop. You can even use affresh® stainless steel cleaners to remove hard water spots and food stains from your stainless or black stainless appliance fronts.

View the ingredients disclosures and safety data sheets for all affresh® products at our document hub. As with all cleaning products, it’s best to wash your hands after handling an affresh® tablet or cleaning solution. This is just extra precaution in case of mild irritation to skin or eyes if you rub them.

Safer Choice Ingredients to Help Protect Your Family

The ingredients in affresh® dishwasher cleaner tablets, washing machine tablets, disposal tablets, and coffee machine cleaner tablets are certified Safer Choice by the Environmental Protection Agency, so you can use them with confidence. When used according to the instructions on the package, the ingredients in affresh® tablets are safe for humans, your machine, your pipes and your septic system, yet powerful enough to remove odor-causing residues and get your appliances clean and fresh.

¹ Nielsen Scantrack; Total US Extended All Outlet Combined dollar sales, 52WK period ending December 2022