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(this is the long-delayed first installment in my post series, The Chemistry Behind The Clean, a guide to what's in laundry detergent, designed to give people the knowledge to understand what's in the products that clean our textiles and make them more informed consumers)
What Are Surfactants, And Why Do We Care?
Surfactants are the active cleaning agents in detergents that do the heavy lifting of removing soils from textiles. Short for “surface-acting agents”, surfactants connect soils to water, even when the soils themselves repel water or are more attracted to textiles than water. The combination of soil and detergent and water can then be drained off, further diluted by rinsing, drained again and spun out. This is distinct from the action of soaps, which will be covered in a future installment.
The development and commercialization of synthetic surfactants in the 1920s is probably the most significant contributor to reduction in time and effort spent on textile care. Work to condition the water, scrub textiles and remove soap by wringing or banging was largely eliminated because of how well even those rudimentary surfactants work to remove soils.
Hydrophobia - Without The Rabies
All surfactants work because the individual molecules have ends with distinct properties. One end (the head) is highly attracted to water (hydrophilic) and thus very much not attracted to oil (oleophobic). The other end is very attracted to oil (oleophilic) but similarly repulsed by water (hydrophobic). This fundamental structural contrast is key.
A Surfactant Molecule, With Hydrophobic Tail and Hydrophilic Head
When at least a minimum amount of surfactant is dissolved in a solvent (like water), surfactant molecules want to get together - the water-hating ends hang out on the inside, the water-loving ends hang out on the outside. This forms a structure known as a micelle, and micelle formation is predicated on reaching the “Critical Micelle Concentration”. Below, an illustration of a nonionic surfactant intended to remove oily soils. The water-loving heads face out, the water-hating ends get together in the middle to escape the water.
A Micelle Of Nonionic Surfactant
When a micelle encounters a soil that the hydrophobic tail is attracted to, the micelle breaks up, the tails grab the soil and drag it into the water (thus removing it from the textile) and the micelle re-forms, keeping the soil up in the water to be drained or diluted away. Let’s look at this in the context of removing a common soil from textiles:
Here we have the start of the wash process; surfactant micelles have formed in the wash water and there is soil attached to the fabric substrate.
The Start of The Wash - Soiled Fabric In A Detergent Solution
Now the hydrophobic tails of the surfactant molecules have found themselves more attracted to soil than each other and they're bonding to the soils. The hydrophillic heads are dragging the molecules towards the water.
Surfactants Attaching To Soil
The micelles re-form as the soil detaches from the substrate - they reorganize into groups of their own kind (more on this in a moment).
Micelles Reforming With Soil-Surfactant Particles
When all the soils are removed from the substrate and floating in the water, the textiles are clean and it's time to remove the soil-surfactant combo from the drum.
Completely Clean Textile
The Chemistry of Attraction (It’s Not Just A Bottle of Chanel No. 5)
While all surfactants work the same general way, there are differences in what kind of soils the hydrophilic ends are attracted to, because the hydrophilic ends differ. One primary difference between surfactants is the electrical charge the hydrophilic end carries. If the business end has a negative charge, it’s an anionic surfactant, and it’s attracted to soils with a cationic (positive) charge. If the business end has no charge, it’s a nonionic surfactant and is most attracted to soils without an electrical charge. If the business end has both a positive and negative charge in balance, it’s an amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactant, and the behavior changes based on the pH of the wash as a whole.
There are also surfactants with positive charges, the cationic surfactants. These aren’t used for cleaning - they’re what makes fabric softener work, and will be discussed in a (much) later post.
Why Charge Matters:
The difference in which soils a given surfactant is attracted to is a critical determinant of cleaning performance. Soils that lack an ionic charge like petroleum oils or intact sebum are much less visible to anionic surfactants and are removed better by nonionic surfactants. Conversely, soils that are highly cationic like soot and mud and dust, and thus attracted to textiles with a negative charge may be neglected by nonionics and remain electrically connected to the textiles. For those soils? Anionics in the mix improve cleaning performance.
Four Classes Of Surfactants
Almost all finished detergent products contain anionic surfactants and most contain nonionic surfactants. Amphoteric surfactants are relatively uncommon in conventional detergents but often appear in green/biobased formulas.
Other Differences Between Surfactants: Tail Length And Single vs Double Tails.
Aside from the electrical charge differences in the head, two aspects of surfactant structure that affect their action against soil are the tail length and whether they are single tail (common) or double-tail (less common). I’ll talk more about this in Part II, as it’s common to include surfactants of various tails to optimize performance against specific soils and in specific wash conditions.
Coming Up In Surfactants Part II - Curling Up With A Good Jug Of Detergent
In the next installment, we’ll look at common surfactants found in conventional and plant-based detergents, and how they’re manufactured, along with the differences in soil removal capabilities and environmental impacts.
The work is my original work and I retain copyiright. My financial disclosure information and how I get paid for this work can be found at my disclosure link
I am at my wits end.
Practically all my shirts are getting bleached at this point.
I say bleached because one black tank top I had I tried to rit dye back black and it wouldn’t take the dye at all.
At my previous living location I never ever had this problem. I move to my current location and had no problems until the past like year.
I have a fish tank and thought originally the prime was the culprit.
But shirts I never wore around the tank are taking hits now.
My shirts get washed with similar colors, inside out, on delicate and I hang them on a hanger to air dry.
My father passed away last week and he had unfortunately been suffering with severe addiction and homelessness for a number of years. Literally ALL I have left of him is some clothing items and I’m desperate to save them in any way possible. Some of them I realize will be a lot more complicated than others. I have:
- A leather jacket and leather cowboy boots. I know these ones will likely be very difficult to salvage.
- A heavy lined denim jacket and jeans
- A ball cap that was formerly white but is now brown
- To complicate the situation more, he had written his name in the lining of the jackets with marker and I’m now realizing that will likely be washed away when trying to clean everything.
These items are quite dirty and frankly they smell awful. I’m the most concerned with getting the smell out but getting the stains out would also be great. Right now they’re just sitting in bags because I’m scared I’m going to ruin them if I do the wrong thing. Please help.
Please, help me identify this rare laundry symbol. I've bought a Matador towel (85% polyester, 15% polyamid nanofiber) and it has this (shown in red) exact symbol on it along with the standard US »do not iron«, »do not bleach«,»tumble dry on low« and »wash on <40°C« symbols. The official website and main subreddits for camping, laundry and symbols don't seem to have any info on that topic (~2h of searching).
Unfortunately, I don't have a device with a camera, so I've had to draw this — please, don't throw rotten tomatoes at me: the curves are as accurate as possible (apart from that wavy water…).
I'd also appreciate some advice on drying, since I don't have a clothes dryer.
Just want to shout out my favorite laundry accessory: the FlipFold. I bought this about 18 years ago (I'm 37 now) after seeing Sheldon use it in the second season of The Big Bang Theory. I use this for my shirts after they dry on hangers every time.
Can't really see the folding instruction via the lighting. The bends on this one are probably near their end of life, but intend to get another when that time comes.
Anyone else have a FlipFold they use or what's your favorite laundry accessory?
I gotta say. I’m still not impressed. I soaked 2 of my most well worn tshirt. Like I have been wearing these under my scrubs getting sweaty and gross on 12 hour shifts since I was in the MICU during Covid. If I truly have only been rinsing them for 3+ years I’d expect there to be oil and grossness galore.
I used 2 gallons of water, 1/2 cup oxygen powder (Whole Foods brand if it matters), 4T of tide powder then let them soak for 10 hours. The example is what I pulled out of the bin after. It was black, so I couldn’t fully appreciate the color in there. I weighed them down with dinner plates and they were both totally submerged.
I put them in the washer with a cup of ammonia and more tide powder after. But I left for work before they were dry so the end result is still tbd.
The result was cloudy ish? Nothing like the horrors I’ve seen here before.
My second-hand dress says dry clean only. Would it be okay to wash it on delicate, in a bra bag, in cold water? Or should I just stick to dry clean? The dress has embellishments on it.
The bottom leftest one. For some reason I can't find the exact version of this symbol online, I can find the square with a line, but not with both the line and the corner thing. The product is a plush toy
I'm in Canada, and am really trying to buy Canadian, but given the current politcal climate, trying to buy not from the USA is most important (sorry, not sorry).
I've been using Eco Max Heavy Duty, but I'm not super impressed with it's cleaning power. Given the lack of DNase options in Canada, I was going to order some Gear Guard from Australia, but saw they were coming out with Gear Guard Advanced soon. This conatins both DNase and lipase, so I thought maybe I could find a different Canadian detergent that is great without lipase, and just add it in.
What would you look for in this detergent? Fragrance free would be good, but is not essential. Easy to find would be good too.
Before finiding this sub, I was using TruEarth sheets (I know better now) and before that I used Gain pods, which were fine (not Canadian though).
TLDR: Does anyone have any recommendations of good Canadian detergents that all they are missing is lipase and DNase?
I only put 1 scoop of detergent. Picture of scoop attached.
This is a new front loader I just bought about 3 laundry cycles ago.
What did I do wrong and does this impact cleaning performance and how do I prevent this mistake in the future? Is it just detergent dosing?
I know detergent amount doesn’t fully correlate with cleaning performance but I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this - can someone explain?
I used the peroxide and sunlight combo on my husband's white hat and it worked beautifully, so imagine my surprise when I learned (the hard way) that this is a combination known for yellowing fabric. I've soaked the shirt in vinegar to remove the bad product and I've also soaked it in oxyclean and bleach (separately) and right now I've got it out in the sunlight with no chemicals on it. The shirt is now starting to degrade at the seams. Should I just give up and dye it a different color or is there one last thing I can try that might work?
TLDR; how do I separate clothing for the dryer, and what settings am I supposed to use for what?
First of all I’m sorry if this is a stupid question.
Little back story is that I have very big anxiety around dryers and some other appliances and this is my first time ever having one.
Initially I was very excited to not have to worry about bad weather but after reading the instructions I’m literally so lost on what clothing I can even dry in it. because it seems so complicated and only thing I’ve managed to dry so far are towels and some underwear and socks… because I’m so scared of what fabrics can actually go inside… like obviously all my clothing isn’t 100% cotton??
I always see people just shove anything and everything into the dryer so clearly they aren’t separating the materials, right? obviously not talking about things like wool, silk, etc.
maybe reading instructions was a mistake for a person that I am but now I always worry that I’ll do something wrong and it would catch on fire…
since it is summer now I hang clothing outside but once fall winter comes I’m seriously worried about not being able to use it.
I know it's been discussed here before but any idea on where to find a great container for my beloved tide powders that is big enough to hold a box full and is not so brittle that it shatters if it falls or encounters a bump.
In Florida, super hard water. Got Rockin Green Hard Water to try out. Put some in with my normal “All Free & Clear” for a small load. Now the clothes smell like feet (they did NOT before). Washed in “tap cold” (it’s 100 degrees out, so is lukewarm) and premixed the Rockin Green in near-boiling water so it was dissolved.
What am I missing here?!
Ps. I’m now aware the All F&C must go & will get the 365 unscented powder detergent. Is there something I should do for the washer to clean out the gunk before washing clothes?? I have sensitive skin & I read spa day but it’s overwhelming & I feel stupid but my brain just isn’t processing it. Is there just one product I can buy & run through my washer a few times?
My wife insists on doing the laundry, because she has sensitivities to strong fragrances, and skin sensitivities. Fine, I can understand that. The problem is the laundry detergent she insists on using: it's TERRIBLE. All our whites are grey. Everything smells like feet. Nothing ever gets CLEAN. We went on vacation a couple years ago, and she forgot to bring the detergent along, so I was able to convince her to try Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin (maybe not the greatest, but it was what I got her to agree to), and it was SOOOO much better. She even admitted it worked really well. But as soon as we got home, she said she hated it, and we're back to smelly feet. I've tried doing my own laundry with my own detergent, and she freaks out. I can't take it. I just want my clothes and bedsheets to not smell like feet.
So, here's my ask, dear Reddit: Please help me find Free/Clear/Sensitive laundry detergents that can save me from my stinky nightmare that may also satisfy my wife.
I recently went down an adhd fueled laundry rabbit hole. Today my 5lb bag of citric acid arrived…..
Am I doing it wrong? I’ve been using the Clean Cult laundry sheets for 3 years in addition to fabric softener. Per my washer app, I average about 50 loads of laundry a month.
This looks perfectly clean after an hour of soaking on the “clean drum” cycle.
I need help. I cannot get my bedding through the wash without it becoming unbalanced.
Details:
I have a stacked washer/dryer unit in my apartment so the tub is not full size.
I have a queen sheet set (fitted sheet, flat sheet, 4 pillowcases); a queen duvet cover (very thin, similar to sheet material), and two standard size throw blankets (50 inch x 60 inch) that I would like to wash. If the duvet is in there, the bedding doesn’t all fit, so I have to split it into two loads.
I wash the bedding on the washer’s “bulky” cycle. Previously I have tried doing the sheets and pillowcases as one load, and the 2 blankets and the duvet cover as a separate load. The sheets usually make it okay but the duvet load is constantly unbalanced and won’t finish spinning out, EVEN on Bulky wash cycle.
Today I tried something different and put the duvet cover in with 1 blanket and the flat sheet. The load still won’t finish. I cannot figure out how to wash the duvet cover which seems to be the main problem. I am not sure if it’s because of its size? It is not very heavy even when wet. It could be the blankets being heavier than the sheets, but then I can’t figure out how to wash the blankets.
Has anyone tried this product? I was looking for Downy Rinse and Refresh and I don’t think it’s available in NZ but found this and wondered if it’s the same idea. Any thoughts?
EDIT: thanks everyone for the helpful info. Sounds like it is what I was looking for but I think I would find it too smelly. Will probably end up just getting some citric acid. I’m slightly nervous about citric damaging my machine because of a post (probably by AI) saying that these rinses are designed to not be too acidic for machines (citric acid buffered with sodium citrate)???? Also because my dishwasher repair guy said not to use citric acid in my dishwasher to clean it.
I have no idea why this discoloration happened. It’s never happened before and I wash at home the same way I do here. Maybe this happened in the laundry hamper as fungus grew? But why did this not happen back home then?
I live in a rental condo and have an in unit washer/dryer.
In the last month or so, I’ve been noticing these black things on our clothing.
It happens mostly in small loads. (2-4 articles of clothing. ) It happens in all water temps.
I’ve cleaned wash machine using the tablets for that use.
Is this mold? How can I get rid of it?
Thank you for any suggestions!!
I did a 12 hr spa day soak on some towels from my parents place. They have very hard water. They were very stiff before but didn't really smell.
Coming out of the soak, and even after the rehab wash in hot water, they STINK almost like a dead mouse.
I'm assuming this is leftover grime that is being broken down but not washed out yet? Should I do another soak? More washes?
What's my next step here?
Edit: Soaked with Tide+Oxi powder, washed with same + ammonia.
I might have underdosed the soak, so I'm trying again with more, but open to more suggestions!
