American consumers often use the words “soap” and “detergent” interchangeably, but in reality, there are significant differences between these two types of cleaners. The earliest evidence of soap can be traced back to 2800 B.C., where historians believe it was used by the ancient Babylonians. Soap making is mentioned in ancient Roman documents written as…
Essentially, there are four main types of surfactants, with the first three used the most in laundry detergents, and their actions depend on their interactions with ions. Ions are charged particles due to the gain or loss of electrons. Ions can be positive such as calcium, Ca2+, or negative such as chloride, Cl-. Anionic surfactants…
Phosphates in detergent became an environmental concern in the 1950s and the subject of bans in later years. Phosphates make laundry cleaner but also cause eutrophication, particularly with poor wastewater treatment. A recent academic study of fragranced laundry products found “more than 25 VOCs emitted from dryer vents, with the highest concentrations of acetaldehyde, acetone, and ethanol.…
Detergent powder is mainly composed of surfactant and detergent. The role of the additive is to improve the detergency of the surfactant. It is divided into two types: phosphorous assistant and phosphorus-free assistant. The laundry powder is divided into phosphorus-containing laundry powder and phosphorus-free laundry powder. Phosphorus-containing laundry powder uses phosphate as the main auxiliary…