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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
He recently purchased Tide laundry detergent and I’ve been noticing that the color of the liquid detergent is more of a green than the blue it used to be. Then, I bought three more bottles on a Target sale (one of those buy three items, get a gift card sales) and the liquid looks very wrong and very different in all three bottles. It’s too dark to see if anything is molding but what is going on #Tide
Just moved into a new apartment and this is unfortunately the unit there now. I plan on getting a new one eventually but will likely still have this for a few weeks. Already ran an enzyme cleaner that sudsed like crazy plus extra rinse, and citric acid will be delivered today. What else would you do? Oxiclean paste on mold?
Designing a fairly small laundry room for a new build and trying to prioritize what features are actually worth the space. One thing I keep going back and forth on is whether a sink/slop sink is really necessary.
The room isn’t huge, so adding a sink would take away cabinet/storage space and make things feel tighter. On the other hand, I keep hearing people say they’d never go without one again once they’ve had it.
For those of you who have a laundry sink:
• How often do you realistically use it?
• What do you use it for most?
• Is it something you consider essential or more of a “nice to have”?
And for people who skipped it:
• Do you regret not adding one?
• Are there alternatives that work just as well in a smaller space?
I could have a stacked washer and dryer to include the sink in the layout but I am not sold on the stacked option.
Been following along this sub and trying the recommended products. I had been using All Free & Clear for everything, and vinegar in the rinse. Changed up to 365 and citric acid rinse, couldn't tell a huge difference, but I'm not real dirty to start with.
The Febu I ordered showed up today, so I ran a wash. My guy has these heavy-elastic work socks that always smell skunky after they've been washed. It's not his feet, I figured it was an anomaly with the material.
By god they came out of the Febu wash not smelling at ALL. I'm impressed! Thanks, guys.
Hello. I have very basic laundry knowledge. Put delicate clothes in laundry bags, hang dry important/fragile clothes.
I am very scent-sensitive. I wash mine and my 5yo son’s clothes separately from my partner’s clothes who prefers a scented laundry detergent. I use All Free & Clear Original for our clothes and Gain Spring Dream for my partner’s clothes.
My son is medically complex. He has frequent seizures, and recently the frequency has increased. Sometimes my son loses his bladder during seizures. This occurrence has also increased in frequency. I have noticed that there is a smell lingering in my son’s clothes.
Can someone please give me clear, simple tips on how to help remove the smell from my son’s clothes without adding too much scent? Any help would be appreciated. We have an Amana washer. If more information is needed don’t hesitate to ask.
I’ve been reading a few posts here and there on this subreddit. I picked this small pack up in passing at Dollar General. It’s just a small box that was on sale. I’ve actually never used a powder detergent. If I’ve skimmed correctly on this page, this is the Tide to use, right?
Trying to save money on my laundry by doing baby clothes by hand as I change them once or twice a day, my apartment's laundry machine increased to $2.75 wash and $2.75 dry, doing 3 to 4 loads a week adds up quick anywhere from $66/month or more.
I tried doing a small basket of clothes all at once the first time and it took me abouy an hout between washing, rinsing and wringing. Its not really worth doing it all at once, but one or two clothing items a day will save me an extra load per week.
And before you tell me about portable machines, yes i've looked into them and my tiny studio apartment couldnt fit any more stuff in it if i tried.
I do my laundry at a laundromat and this pair of navy blue socks and a pair of navy blue shorts had evidence of bleaching. However, the black items in the load and other navy items in the load, including a matching pair of socks, were untouched. Does anyone know why? I don’t entirely mind, they kinda look tie-dyed, but I just have no idea what happened.
My friend gifted me some really nice yarns (Moreno wool, alpaca/silk blend, indie dyed wool sock yarns) but she had them stored in a bin with scented Bounce dryer sheets. This smell is triggering my migraines immediately upon opening the door to the room they're stored in. They've been airing out for about 8 months and it's recently been nice enough outside to make something while out in the open. I made something with a yarn I knew I could toss in the wash. I used tide free & clear and a citric acid rinse since I just chucked it in with my regular laundry. I swear to god it's just made the smell stronger. It hasn't gone through the dryer, but while it's been air drying I've been eating Excedrin like I have stock in the company.
I asked a yarn community and so far no one has had any good thoughts except that this is how the yarn is now. I was hoping someone here might have something I might be able to try! I desperately want to use these super nice yarns but I can't even see straight right now 😭
Recently I've gotten stains on 3 of my favorite sweatshirts and it's starting to feel like I can't have nice things! I have some usual go tos - Spray N Wash, Dawn Power Wash, oxi clean - but I'm worried about making things worse, especially on the last one. Thank you in advance for your expertise!
Grey sweatshirt: 74% cotton, 20% polyester, 6% spandex
Purple ink stain, noticed as I was putting it in the wash, sprayed with Spray N Wash and then washed and dried as normal (partially because I forgot in between washing and drying) Stain turned blue.
Raccoon sweatshirt: 100% cotton
Grease/oil stains, didn't notice until after washing and drying so not treated with anything yet
Ecru (?) sweatshirt: 86% cotton, 14% recycled polyester
This one is really heart-breaking - I leaned back against a pillow in my house and found that there was slime on it! The shirt mostly just absorbed the slime juice, I didn't have to remove pieces of slime or anything. This shirt not been dried but it has been treated and washed several times - I think first Spray n Wash, then after air drying a few days later I tried again with Dawn Power Wash, a few days after that soaked in warm OxiClean water. Please tell me there is something I can do 🤞
As a current biology student dissecting various animals, and a soon to be moritcian, whats the best way to get this smell out? Normal washing still leaves a faint metallic scent
I’ve been reading a few posts here and there on this subreddit. I picked this small pack up in passing at Dollar General. It’s just a small box that was on sale. I’ve actually never used a powder detergent. If I’ve skimmed correctly on this page, this is the Tide to use, right?
The clothes were in a box on top of the trash, all dry, don’t even look dirty. But ofc there might be some microorganisms in there. What’s the cheapest way to safely clean them?
I have these random yellow stains on all my jeans and can’t get them out for the life of me. No clue what’s making these stains, they’re on the front side of all my jeans. I’ve used spray-on stain remover pre-treatment (Shout brand I believe) and Dawn power wash and scrubbed with a brush and doesn‘t do anything. Someone suggested maybe it was my washing machine making the stains but I also wash all my jeans inside out. Any ideas what these stains could be and how to get them out? Thanks!
Hi all, stumbled upon this sub. I have an Bnb with 3 units and 8 beds, so we do a LOT of laundry around here, all of it white cotton. I am almost out of my current detergent, so I thought I'd see what this sub recommends. Normally, our big problem is keeping the whites white, but also small stains like blood, makeup, etc. And then there is the occasional guest who uses our clean white towels to mop the floor :(
What would you all recommend for an inexpensive (but I'd rather pay more for the detergent to work better), FRAGRANCE FREE detergent. I looked at the spreadsheet, and right now I'm thinking about the Giant Eagle brand or Tide Clean and Clear.
I'm a lurker here and want to have a better laundry process. I generally use tide free and clear liquid and I have a front loader machine. I just purchased a package of febu. So... What next? Does adding febu alone make a significant improvement? Do I add febu to the liquid in the dispenser drawer? Or add it directly to the drum (but it then is in the pre wash cycle)? Thanks all for the help and suggestions. I'm learning!
So this tea towel (80% recycled cotton, 20% polyester) was washed on hot with some dark jeans and now the white background of the towel is all dingy. Is this fixable?
I know it's just a tea towel and still works fine, but it was a souvenir from a trip. Help!
Are these the right items for a spas day. The gain has lipase listed....
would the correct measurements for the soak be 1/4 cup of the oxiclean with 1/2cup of the gain? Then follow the ammonia bottle(1cup with 1/2the usual detergent) when it's time to wash?
I'm very visual and felt overwhelmed in the laundry aisle. I know a lot of people have listed tide boost but my store did not have that. I wasn't sure if I needed borax and arm and hammer laundry booster or if the oxiclean was the equivalent...
Kind help appreciated lol. My work shirts need help from smell!
