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 Soap
has been around for 5000 years. Both the Egyptians and Babylonians used
soap for personal cleaning. Soap then was a mixture of rendered animals
fats and ashes. Although its basic principles remain the same, it is now
made using a sophisticated chemical and manufacturing process.
Did you
know that during
the middle ages the use of soap was considered unnatural? Some historians
suggest the rejection of soap, and the associated lack of hygiene, may
have contributed to the Black Death that ravaged Europe. Even intolerance
has been linked to soap. Some Europeans rejected
soap at this time because it was considered a devilish product. Therefore
it has been suggested that cultures who continued using this amazing
substance may have been persecuted.
Even
today people think it is a mystery product that they imagine full of numerous secret
ingredients boiled up in a caldron. While not a magical product it's
definitely a substance that has helped transform society. Something
we use every day to make our busy lives both easier and safer.
Detergent is not soap.
Prior to
World War II laundry was cleaned with soap or soap flakes. After the war
detergent became the predominant laundry cleaning choice. It was less
expensive, more convenient, and worked better with the new-fangled washing
machines. Unlike soap, detergent lent itself to the high speed
processes, allowing it to be mass produced in huge quantities for an
ever-expanding market. Over
time consumers also demanded variations of detergents that would not have
been possible with soap based products. Today these include: low suds, high suds, high
efficiency, phosphate
free, cold water, environmentally friendly, fruit scented, non
scented, baby special, liquid form, and crystal form.
How clothes are cleaned.
People do not realize
that the detergent is only a minor part of the cleaning process. The
proper cleaning of clothes involves many complex interactions.
Did you know it's the water that
does most of the cleaning, not the detergent? In fact, it is the water mixing with the dirt on the clothes that lifts off the soiling matter
and holds it in suspension. Then as the washing machine is draining the water
completes the job by carrying the dirt away.
The job of detergent is to make this action happen more efficiently.
Water appears to be one large body of fluid.
Actually it's made up of miniscule balls of water because of a phenomenon called
surface tension. The natural state of water is these tight little balls.
Surface tension does not want these little balls of water to mix.
Therefore, we introduce detergent. The detergents
job is to break down the surface tension and allow the water molecules to mix.
This allows all the water balls to flow into one homogeneous mass
that can be put to work. Eliminating
surface tension also makes the water penetrate the
clothing fabric rather than slide off. Some people describe it as
making the water “slippery”, while others refer to it as making the
water "wetter". Whatever the description the result is that the water can attack
the dirt more aggressively. The water gets into the clothing fibers, loosens
the dirt, and then holds it until it can be
washed away.
Additionally,
the detergent helps keep the dirt suspended within the water. This prevents dirt
particles from reattaching to the clothes.
Without the detergent this reattachment could happen every time the water-dirt mixture
came into contact with the clothing.
The
last thing we need to do to get a clean wash is impart some energy into
the water. That is a fancy way of saying we need to make it move. That is
the job of the agitator inside the washing machine. By making the water
roll it is tumbling the water against the clothes. This drives the
water-detergent mixture into the clothes and makes them clean faster.
Think of it as the same principle used by our ancestors when they wet the
clothes in the river and then banged them against a rock to loosen the
dirt.
Detergent and hard water.
One
of the things that affects the cleaning process is water hardness. When
detergent is used in hard water it produces soap scum. The same stuff
that makes that ring inside your bathtub. The harder the water, the more
soap scum.
Water
hardness is a measure of its mineral content. So, the more minerals, the
more soap scum. The more scum, the less concentrated the detergent.
Therefore, if your water is hard you need to compensate by using more
detergent per load of laundry. Conversely, the softer the water the less detergent is required
to clean the clothes. If you read the detergent box it will usually
indicate how much detergent is needed for different water hardness.
Unsure
of your water hardness? Telephone your municipality or water provider and
ask for the water hardness level. It is quoted in grains. That is, 2-4
grains is soft, 4-6 grains is medium, and above 6-8 grains is hard water.
If you don’t know your water hardness, then experiment. Cut back on your
detergent. If the clothes still come out clean, cut back further.
Detergent
quantity per load. Don't
assume that the amount of detergent suggested on the box is correct for
you. The
manufacturer is offering general guidelines based upon many variable
factors. Load size, dirt content, detergent type, machine type, water
hardness, or water temperature all effect the amount required. Some
experimentation is required to find how much detergent you should use per
load. Also, use a measuring cup to dispense your
detergent. The plastic
measuring cup that comes in the detergent box is there for a reason.
Once the
perfect amount of detergent has been determined continue to use this
same amount for every load. Use a marker to draw a line on the measure so your
amount per load will be consistent.
New products.
In
recent years the front-loading washer has become common. They have
attracted much attention because they use about 40% less water than a conventional top loading washing machine. The
clothes are not suspended in a large tub of water. Instead they roll
inside a horizontal drum and only pass through water when at the bottom. The clothes are constantly being picked up and
dropped into
the water. This tumbling action takes the place of the agitator used in a
top load machine.
Along
with the introduction of the front-loader has come a new generation of
laundry detergent. It is called high-energy, or high-efficiency detergent.
Generally referred to as HE detergent. This type of detergent produces
very little suds. If suds were
present they would form a cushion at the bottom of the drum, between the
clothes and the water. This would drastically reduce the cleaning action
of the water.
The front-loader machines generally require
much less detergent per load of
laundry. Some sources indicate this is because less water needs less
detergent to obtain the same water to detergent ratio. Others
suggest it is because the HE detergent is more concentrated, and so less
is needed to produce the same cleaning action.
The Future.
What
will the future bring to the field of laundry detergent and clothes cleaning?
Manufacturers
have been hinting at a type of  washing machine that requires no detergent.
Some think it will take the form of a microwave washer. The dirt is
radiated to the point where it is virtually vaporized. Sounds like
something out of Star Trek. Others
suggest washers may use electrically charged particles to do the cleaning.
The dirt would be given an electrical charge different from the clothing. In
this way the dirt can then be drawn away from the fabric and then disposed
of into a filter.
At this
point in time these
things seem rather far-fetched and theoretical. Of
course the same is always said about fanciful ideas. That is until someone learns how to turn a crazy theory
into a practical device.
By Donald Grummett
Copyright ©
2004 Donald
Grummett. All rights reserved
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