Abstract: Improved cleaning and/or bleaching compositions including fabric laundry and bleaching compositions, automatic dishwashing compositions, hard surface cleaners, bleach additives and the like, suitable for domestic use, comprising improved bleach activators having particular alpha-modified lactam leaving groups leading to improved in-use performance of bleaching agents such as perborate even under wash conditions less alkaline than those typically encountered or when hydrogen peroxide source is at low levels in a cleaning operation. A preferred class of activators are N-acyl-3-morpholinone compounds with benzoyl being a preferred acyl group and N-Benzoyl-3-oxomorpholine being a highly preferred activator.