You spray them in the air, mop your floors with them and wash your clothes in them—but do you have any idea what chemicals are in the cleaners you use?

Probably not. And Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive and other household cleaner giants want to keep it that way.The companies are fighting Earthjustice’s lawsuit under a right-to-know law requiring them to disclose the chemical ingredients in their products (Mr. Clean, Lysol, Brillo, Ajax and others) and the health risks they pose.

Keri Powell in the Northeast office will soon face off against the companies’ lawyers in court. She’ll be outflanked 5 to 1. But she’s got spirited colleagues to cheer her on. That—and the fact that the law is on her side!

You spray them in the air, mop your floors with them and wash your clothes in them—but do you have any idea what chemicals are in the cleaners you use?

Probably not. And Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive and other household cleaner giants want to keep it that way.The companies are fighting Earthjustice’s lawsuit under a right-to-know law requiring them to disclose the chemical ingredients in their products (Mr. Clean, Lysol, Brillo, Ajax and others) and the health risks they pose.

Keri Powell in the Northeast office will soon face off against the companies’ lawyers in court. She’ll be outflanked 5 to 1. But she’s got spirited colleagues to cheer her on. That—and the fact that the law is on her side!

The case comes just as the Obama administration is grappling with how to reform our system of regulating toxic chemicals.

Overhauling this badly broken system won’t be easy, but one thing’s certain: Consumers are demanding—and have a right—to make informed choices about the products they bring into their homes.

Strangely, some companies are acting like consumers won’t know what to do with this information once they have it. They obviously haven’t talked to a mom with an internet connection recently.

When I told a good friend of mine, the mother of an adorable two-year-old, about the case, she cheered us on and said she’d gladly put ingredient information to use.

"I’m constantly reading and doing research to learn what’s best for my daughter. Trust me, if I have the information, I will use it. And I’ll share it with every mother I know!"

I guess it takes an online village…