There was a time when people used soap flakes to clean their clothes. Animal and vegetable fats are the primary ingredients of most soap products. However, these ingredients were scarce during World War II. It forced companies to invent an alternative cleaning product for clothes. This led to the development of laundry detergent.
Most laundry detergent products depend on petrochemicals, which are oily substances that can easily stick to grease and grime. The official name of these substances is surfactants. They are formulated to reduce the surface tension between the liquid and gas elements of water.
Water becomes wetter and more liquified when its surface tension is reduced. That is how it clings to the grease and grime in the fabric of your clothing. Sure, ordinary water can remove some of the grease and grime, but it is always easier when surfactants are used. They allow water to do a much better job of cleaning ugly stains and messes out of clothing fabric.
Powder or Liquid?
When you browse the laundry detergent aisle of your local supermarket, you’ll notice there are powder-based and liquid-based laundry detergent choices available. Which one do you think is better or worse?
If you examine the active ingredients of both types of laundry detergents, they are pretty much the same. In fact, many people find their cleaning power to be similar too. That is why it usually comes down to someone’s personal preferences.
For example, powdered laundry detergents are typically cheaper and more environmentally friendly than liquid detergents. However, the problem with powdered detergents is that they don’t dissolve in water as quickly as liquid detergents. So you’ll probably have to use a greater amount of water to ensure all the powder dissolves in it.
Furthermore, powdered laundry detergents contain more chemicals and filler ingredients. If you care about protecting plants and marine life, then it may be better for you to choose a liquid detergent. Since it dissolves faster in water, you won’t have to use as much water to clean your clothes.
The biggest problem with liquid detergents is their thick plastic packaging. But if you can use an eco-friendly liquid detergent, you may find that its packaging contains more composite material and less plastic material.
Final Words
There are endless choices of laundry detergent products available. The product you choose will depend on your personal preferences. They all do an excellent job of cleaning messes and stains out of clothes. But you have to think about the ingredients and what they do to the environment. That is what makes each detergent different and unique.