Today, both natural and synthetic detergent options will keep your laundry looking and smelling fresh.
Learn more about basic laundry detergent ingredients and the chemistry that goes into making them work.
Basic Detergent Formulas
Every detergent manufacturer has secret ingredients and mixtures to produce their specific brands.
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Many of these ingredients can be manufactured from plants; others are petroleum-based.
The amount of each ingredient and how they are combined affects a detergent’s cleaning ability.
They are effective in removing dirt and stains from fabric without excessive rubbing.
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Soluble salts of an alkali metal, such as potassium or sodium, are good grease removers.
When added to the laundry detergent, the alkalies react with the fats in the formula to make soap.
The first soap and detergent makers used plant ashes to produce alkalis.
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These are the most commonly used alkalies in soaps and detergents.
Theybreak up stainsand suspend the dirt in the water to prevent the redeposition of the dirt onto the surface.
They work like an oil and vinegar salad dressing.
They do not mix unless shaken vigorously in the bottle and separate almost immediately afterward.
The same is true when washing clothes.
As the water swishes around, the oil is lifted into the water and swished away.
The minerals keep the anionic surfactant from working properly.
Anionic surfactants are listed as alkyl sulfates, alkyl ethoxylate sulfates, and soaps in the ingredient list.
If you havehard water, you will get better cleaning results with a non-ionic surfactant.
These surfactant molecules have no electrical charge.
These surfactants are listed as ethers of fatty alcohols on the label.
You might find them combined with anionic surfactants to complement and boost cleaning action.
Enzymes are naturally occurring; they help bread rise faster and increase wine yields.
The introduction of enzymes into laundry detergents dramatically changed how we do laundry.
Enzymes allow us to use lower water temperatures and less detergent to clean clothes.
Fragrance
Fragrances influence theperception of cleanliness.
They are often added to the detergent composition and mixed during production.
Laundry detergent fragrances can also harm the environment.
It is best to choose safer options labeled “fragrance-free.”
They perform no role in cleaning.
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