Useful Facts to Know About Laundry Detergents
Proper care and maintenance of your clothing and bedding are essential for healthy living. We would recommend that clothing and bedding be washed regularly to keep it, and your health, in tip-top condition. Here are some important reasons for doing this!
BENEFITS OF CLEANING WITH LAUNDRY DETERGENTS
On a social level, putting on clean clothing will invariably make you feel better, therefore affecting your mood, and making you feel happier! It can also boost your confidence as not only will you look good, but you’ll smell good as well! Similarly, we all know that feeling of slipping into fresh, clean bedding, and how that makes us feel!
On a health level, laundering our clothes and bedding essentially helps to remove dirt, bacteria, fleas and mites that can lurk, and breed, on such items. It also promotes and supports good health.
On a medical level, laundering clothing and bedding can help to reduce the incidence of infections such as gastric episodes, respiratory infections, and a range of possible skin infections.
So now you know why you should wash clothes and bedding regularly, let’s now take a look at the all-important laundry detergents and products we need to use when doing our laundry. Join us as we focus on useful facts to know about laundry detergents.
THE HISTORY OF LAUNDRY DETERGENTS
The earliest documented evidence of soap-like substances used to launder clothes and other items, such as bedding, dates back to around 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon. This soap-like substance came from rendered animal fat mixed with ashes.
The Roman Empire made use of soaps, oils, and ash mix, very popular within ancient societies for personal use and brought about significant improvements to hygiene levels. This also improved and advanced how clothes were laundered within ancient societies.
Following the Roman Empire period in the 5th Century, the traditional methods of laundering began to see a downturn. This brought with it a decline in the overall hygiene levels and cleanliness across Europe as a whole.
It can be argued that as a result of the lowering of hygiene standards, several waves of deadly plagues returned to continental Europe, the likes that had previously disappeared owing to sound hygiene and cleaning practices. Around the 17th Century, there was a clamour to re-introduce hygiene policies back into developed societies. Importantly, this development brought about the emergence of new cleaning products and laundry detergents.
DEVELOPMENT OF LAUNDRY DETERGENTS
From the 17th Century onwards, there was an accepted need to re-introduce new hygiene practices and standards across human societies to keep disease at bay. Put simply, people were living in filthy and appalling, squalid conditions. Reports at the time showed that clothing and bedding were invariably of a very poor hygiene standard; dirty and stained, and engrained with all kinds of unpleasant matter!
New health policies concentrated the minds of the day to develop better and more effective washing techniques and laundering detergents in order to promote better health and hygiene across the board.
The world’s first commercially available laundry powder was Persil. This was introduced in 1907, in Germany. By the 1930s, other commercial brands began to emerge, bringing their detergent products to the market. By the end of World War II, a wide range of detergent products replaced soap, which by the 1950s had all but been replaced as a means of cleaning clothes and bedding in developed human societies.
A brief timeline below illustrates the most important laundry developments over the last 50/60 years or so:
TIMELINE OF IMPORTANT LAUNDRY DEVELOPMENTS
i) In the 1960s- Pre-wash stain removers and enzyme soaks
ii) In the 1970s- Multifunctional products (advanced detergents and softeners). Liquid soaps.
iii) In the 1980s- Concentrated detergents and washing powders, and cold water varieties.
iv) In the 1990s- Super concentrated powders and liquid detergents including aromatic gels, and ultra fabric softeners.
v) In the 2000s- Biodegradable and environmentally green laundry products. All-in-one laundry tablets.
vi) In the 2010s- Dissolvable laundry pods and sheets. Specialised laundry detergents for synthetic fibres.
TYPES OF LAUNDRY DETERGENTS
When it comes to types of laundry detergents, there are broadly six types to categorise:
i) Homemade Laundry Detergents
ii) Conventional Laundry Detergents
iii) Modern Powder Detergents
iv) Liquid Laundry Detergents
v) Laundry Detergent Pods
vi) Non-Toxic ‘Green’ Laundry Detergents
HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENTS
These are typically made using a pure form of soap, which is grated into flakes. A substance called ‘sodium tetraborate’ is added to the soap flakes. To add to the efficacy of the mixture, baking soda can be added, this is great for removing stains, and it also has a brightening effect, which is useful for your whites. To fragrance, a few drops of essential oils can be added to produce a bespoke smell to your laundry.
The great thing about homemade laundry detergent is that it is relatively cheap to make and is reassuringly toxic-free, and environmentally friendly. However, the downside to this type of detergent is that it can be prone to ‘clumping’, and it doesn’t always dissolve easily during the wash cycle. This can leave residue on clothing and bedding, which isn’t great for the skin either, and can cause skin irritation! The soap can also build up in the washing machine and cause long-lasting damage.
CONVENTIONAL LAUNDRY DETERGENTS
These are made from petroleum-based ingredients, dyes, and synthetic fragrances, amongst other chemicals that do not fully degrade. These detergents, whilst having a high efficacy rating, are controversial and are often criticised for polluting waterways and other ecosystems. The debate continues within environmentally friendly circles around the true damage that ‘surfactants’; used as an ingredient in conventional detergents, play in causing damage to the lungs and to other areas of the body.
POWDER LAUNDRY DETERGENTS
These are a great choice to clean laundry that’s extra dirty. This is because this type of detergent has a higher pH value as compared to other types. If you are eco-conscious, this powder type typically comes in eco-friendly packaging that is suitable for recycling, and which is therefore good for the environment. Powder detergents can be also less messy to use than liquid types, and are often a cheaper option too, if on a budget. However, these types don’t work well when using cold water, as the powder dissolves less well as compared to liquid types.
LIQUID LAUNDRY DETERGENTS
Liquid-type detergents are really good for cold washes, as they typically dissolve with great ease no matter the water temperature, meaning less residue is left on clothing and bedding. As energy costs soar, washing in cold water can be a positive move towards energy efficiency within the home.
Liquid-type detergents are particularly good at removing grease and oil stains from laundry. They can also be used to spot and treat stains prior to washing. However, this product can be on the messy side to use and can lead to overuse when pouring, which over time can build up in the washing machine leading to odours.
LAUNDRY DETERGENTS PODS
These are water-soluble pouches containing highly concentrated detergent, softener, and other laundry products. As well as being really easy to use; simply throw into the washing machine drum, they are also super lightweight to carry, and can be easily stored away. They are great for cleaning laundry too!
They come in the form of a plastic-like ‘pod’ coating, which means that the right amount of laundry product is measured out for you so there is no need to get involved with the messy pouring process of liquid types.
However, as the ‘pod’ is made of plastic-type material, this means that they are not considered eco-friendly, and the plastic-like coating can stick to clothing and bedding when used in cold water temperatures. The ingredients are also highly poisonous and toxic and, therefore, should always be kept out of reach of small children and pets.
NON-TOXIC ‘GREEN’ LAUNDRY DETERGENTS
As we all become more aware of the impact of the effects of harsh chemicals on the environment and our ecosystems, a new market in the development of safer and more eco-friendly laundry products is well underway. Non-toxic types are free from the phosphates and surfactants that traditional detergents contain. This product is free from harsh chemicals, is safer, and better protects the environment since it is biodegradable.
If you’d like us to take all of the guesswork out of which laundry products and detergents to use, just contact us and we’ll be happy to share our knowledge and expertise with you!
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