Provided is an improved liquid composition for the treatment of surfaces, preferably the skin and/or hair in order to provide a cleaning and/or sanitizing effect thereto, which necessarily comprises: one or more detersive surfactants selected from anionic, nonionic, cationic, and amphoteric surfactants; a first biocidal constituent(s) which provide a biocidal effect in conjunction with at least one or more second biocidal constituent(s) selected from benzoic acid, benzoic acid derivatives and salts thereof or farnesol, one or more pH adjusting constituents, optionally one or more organic solvents, hydrotropes, and further additive constituents, and water. In preferred embodiments the hydrotrope and/or organic solvents are desirably excluded from the compositions, and the composition is thickened. The compositions are particularly useful as a hand wash composition, body wash or shampoo.