A process for making a useful cleaning product from an alkoxylate of a secondary alcohol which comprises: (a) partially sulfating a secondary alcohol alkoxylate with sulfur trioxide in a falling film sulfation reactor at a molar ratio of sulfur trioxide to secondary alcohol alkoxylate of less than 0.9 to produce a mixture comprising a sulfuric acid ester of the secondary alcohol alkoxylate and secondary alcohol alkoxylate which may comprise at least 50 percent by weight of the sulfuric acid ester of the secondary alcohol alkoxylate, (b) combining the mixture with a neutralizing agent in an amount sufficient to neutralize the sulfuric acid ester, and (c) optionally adding water to yield a useful cleaning product.