Laundry misconception: The more detergent, the cleaner the laundry?
Release Time:
2012-11-23 15:02
Source:
Yangzhou Net
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Ms. Wei from Junhe Tiancheng asks:
When washing clothes, does using more detergent make the clothes cleaner?
Tang Shujian, researcher at Yangnong Institute, answers:
Many people think that the more detergent used, the cleaner the clothes will be, but this is a misconception. Detergent is a synthetic cleaning agent mainly composed of surfactants. Simply put, the lipophilic groups in surfactants can adsorb and "grab" oil stains and combine with oil molecules. This binding force directly "pulls" the oil stains away from the fabric surface. At this point, the oil stains are wrapped by the lipophilic groups, while the hydrophilic groups are on the outermost layer, forming a larger "encapsulation."
Because the hydrophilic groups dissolve in water, under scrubbing, they separate from the fabric, suspend in the water, and leave the fabric with the wastewater.
However, when too much detergent is used, the lipophilic groups in the detergent will stick together to form their own system, which is entirely surrounded by hydrophilic groups on the outside. This prevents the lipophilic groups from contacting the oil stains on the clothes, greatly reducing the cleaning effect.
Additionally, excessive detergent is difficult to dissolve in water, causing a large amount of detergent residue on clothes and inside the washing machine. Washing such clothes clean requires wasting a lot of water and electricity. Residue on clothes not only damages the fabric but also harms human skin, and discharged wastewater can damage the ecological environment.
Therefore, when washing clothes, the amount of detergent used can refer to the instructions on the detergent packaging. There is no need to use more; this not only saves money but also protects the environment.
■ Further Reading ■
More foam means cleaner washing?
Tang Shujian says that the amount of foam in detergent mainly depends on the formula. Also, the amount of foam is related to how dirty the clothes are. When clothes are very dirty, some components in the detergent react with dust, causing foam to decrease. However, the amount of foam is not related to the detergent's cleaning ability. When using a washing machine, excessive foam may increase the machine's operating resistance, wasting electricity and water.
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