The amount of detergent you should add varies greatly among brands, but keep in mind that the back of your bottle might recommend that you use more than 2 tablespoons per load. Liam and Sarah explain that HE detergents are at least double the concentration of traditional detergents.
Though pre-portioned pods are convenient, you have less control over the amount. This can quickly lead to a buildup of chemicals and cleaning agents that stiffen your laundry. To restore your wardrobe to its full glory, you need to remove the buildup of detergent burrowed into its fibers.
Whirlpool advises soaking soiled laundry in a mixture of vinegar and water. This is why in areas with hard water which contains lots of these metals you often have to use more laundry detergent, because the more metals there are in the water, the more water conditioners are needed to grab them and stop them messing with the washing process. The most commonly used water conditioner is a chemical called sodium carbonate, which loves to grab metals and hold them tight. Older laundry detergents used sodium triphosphate, which was more effective, but which caused problems by promoting the growth of algae and similar organisms in rivers, choking other wildlife and killing native plants and fish a process called eutrophication.
So, sodium triphosphate was replaced by the less effective but less ecologically damaging sodium carbonate. These water conditioners form more than half of the content of the detergent by weight. The second biggest ingredient of detergents is a chemical called a surfactant, which is one of the main active ingredients that lifts and removes stains. These surfactants have a conflicted nature. Most modern detergents are a class of chemicals called linear alkylbenzonesulfates, which are made of long chains of a chemical called a dodecane, composed of long chains of Carbon and Hydrogen.
This chemical readily forms long chain molecules, quite similar to petrochemicals like oil. Attached to this is a benzene ring, with a sulfate molecule attached.
These two parts fundamentally disagree about something: how they feel about water. The dodecyl chain hates it, doing all it can to get away from it. The benzosulfate bit, however, loves water and wants to get close to it. Chemists call these properties hydrophobic water-hating and hydrophilic water-loving , and this conflicting nature is what makes detergents so powerful.
Dodecyl chains hate water, but like each other, and also like other chemicals like fats, sugars, proteins and others. In other words: all of the things on your clothes that you want to get off. Dodecyl chains also like each other: give them a chance, and they will gather together and complain about how much they hate water. When you put a small amount of detergent in water, these two parts of the detergent molecules argue.
The benzosulfate bit is happy to swim about loosely bonding with water, while the dodecane chain hates water. If these molecules bump into something they feel better about such as, say a bit of fat from milk on your shirt , they reach a compromise, with the dodecyl chain attaching to the fat, and the benzosulfate chain happily hanging out with the water. As things slosh about, the bit of fat will attract the dodecyl chain of more detergent molecules, covering it.
In this article we are going to get to the bottom of what happens when detergents enter your washing machine. All laundry detergent ingredients have a job to do, but the one group that's really crucial to getting your clothes clean are surfactants. The word surfactant stems from the combination of words "surface-active agents.
The tail of a surfactant molecule is hydrophobic, or not attracted to water. What the hydrophobic end is attracted to is grease and dirt. The head of the surfactant molecule, on the other hand, is hydrophilic -- it's attracted to water [source: Silberberg ].
So when a greasy piece of clothing is immersed in water with detergents containing surfactant, the tail of the surfactant molecules attach to the grease, and the head end of the molecule is attracted to the water. When the washing machine agitates the clothes, the molecules form tiny spheres, which stay suspended in the water and are rinsed away when the water is drained. Therefore, the prime benefit of surfactants is their ability to draw grime out of clothing while making sure it doesn't return to the fabrics.
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. Researchers at Wright State University examined the extent to which mites and mite allergens were removed when washing clothes in water alone and with detergents. Interestingly, they found that both methods were equally effective in removing mite allergens.
The researchers suggest that washing in water alone is equally effective as washing with detergent because allergens and mites are water soluble, so contact with water removes them [source: Arlian ]. Although surfactants are at the heart of laundry detergent's ability to clean fabrics, other ingredients can help detergents clean better, brighten clothes or smell better.
As described previously, some types of surfactants typically do not work well in hard water due to the excess positive ions present. Additives called builders can help detergents to work better under hard water conditions. This allows the surfactants, especially anionic surfactants, to bind to more grime, rather than the positively charged ions in the wash water.
Builders also are bases, so they work to neutralize acid and can help disrupt chemical bonds. Another benefit of adding builders to laundry detergents is that manufacturers can use less surfactant, since the builders make the surfactant more efficient.
Detergents can also include components that make clothes whiter or brighter. The most common whitening agents are bleaches. Bleaches contain peroxides, which can oxidize fabrics [source: EPA ].
Fluorescent whiteners and brighteners are also added to some laundry detergents because they minimize the yellowing of fabrics.
These additives work by absorbing ultraviolet light and emitting back visible blue light, which can mask the yellow that may make colors appear faded and whites appear dingy.
Enzymes are naturally occurring biologic agents present in many detergents in varying concentrations. These enzymes are typically classified into the following categories and are similar to the enzymes used by your body to digest food:. These enzymes help break down food particles that are present on clothing by catalyzing, or speeding up, the decomposition process. A point to consider is that enzymes are biological products that can break down over time.
Therefore, detergents can also contain enzyme stabilizers, which protect the enzymes and help them function. Some other components include fragrance and coloring, which give laundry detergents their distinctive scents and appearance.
Detergents sometimes contain trace amounts of dye, which is not enough to dye your actual clothing. However, on top of making your laundry detergent more visually appealing, dyes can show you when there is still detergent left on your clothes after the wash cycle. Lastly, fillers help dilute and distribute the active ingredients to their proper dosages. Powder and liquid detergents use different fillers. The major filler in powder detergents is sodium sulphate, which provides the granular powdery texture.
The primary filler in liquid detergents is water. In the next page, we will examine some more similarities and differences between powder and liquid detergents. Soaps and detergents both act as cleansers. In fact, prior to the development of detergents, people used lye-based soaps to wash clothes.
However, lye laundry soap could lead to dull colors, graying whites and rings of soap scum in washing machines. Though soap is a surfactant, the major difference between it and detergent is that soaps don't contain many of the additional components such as builders, enzymes, whiteners and brighteners that make laundry detergent better at cleaning clothes.
Laundry detergent manufacturers have come a long way since the first box of Tide was produced more than 60 years ago. Currently, the two main types of laundry detergent are powders and liquids. For the most part, powder and liquid detergents share the same active ingredients except for the filler used. Additionally, powder and liquid detergents both have pros and cons, and since they have similar cleaning power, people usually choose which type to use based on personal preference.
Although detergents are made with harsh chemicals, it is debatable whether these chemicals expedite the breakdown of fabrics. As discussed previously, the detergent's job is to help pull away the dirt and grime from the clothing and rinse it out with water. The actual "wearing" out of clothes is more likely due to the rubbing of clothes in the washing machine i. Even though detergents do a tremendous job of getting rid of the dirt and grime in our fabrics, at what cost does this come?
Considering the toxicities of their chemical ingredients and carbon cost of production, it's not surprising that some people have concerns about the impacts of laundry detergents on the environment. Their carbon footprint alone is significant by many people's standards. Carbon footprints are an indicator of the amount of carbon dioxide CO2 produced while making, shipping and using a product.
To put this in perspective, it is estimated that for every mile an average car travels, 1 pound 0. Recall that American families on average do loads of laundry per year. This means that the carbon footprint of laundry detergents for one year of laundry is approximately pounds kilograms per year, or about 10 pounds 4.
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