Is it ok in Islam to use cleaning agents such as Pine-sol and dishwashing detergents like Palmolive that contain alcohol to use in the house for cleaning?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

We do not see any harm in using cleaning detergents which contain intoxicants in washing dishes, even according to the view which says that intoxicants are impure-and any wine that causes drunkenness is an intoxicant- and that the products to which intoxicants are added become impure. The scholars stated that it is permissible to benefit from an impurity in other than the mosque and other than for the benefits of the human being

One of the Maaliki books reads: 'It is permissible to benefit from something [a product or else] which contains impure ingredients but which is not an impurity in itself, in other than the mosque and for other than the benefits of the human being.' Since the utensils will be rinsed with water after being washed with those detergents, so they become pure.

However, it should be noted that the utensils that could absorb these washing liquids which are put in them, should not be cleansed with such detergents which contain intoxicants as it is not possible to purify such utensils after they absorbed the impurity. After mentioning what cannot be purified, Khaleel [and he is the author of the above Maaliki book] said: '…and an absorbent pottery.', which means that the pottery absorbs the impurity, like impure water and the like.

Allaah Knows best.