Detergent how does it work

Remember, the inside of the micelle is hydrophobic and does not want to be near water. The soil is also hydrophobic, so it likes the environment the micelle creates. The attraction of the soil to the inside of the surfactant micelle helps loosen the soil from its surface.

Once the soil lifts off the surface, it becomes suspended in the water in the micelle. This suspension is also known as emulsification of one liquid into another. Happy inside the micelle, the soil will not settle back onto the surface. Now that the soil is trapped in the micelle and the micelle is suspended in water, it is easy to wash the soil way. Remember the outside of our micelle loves water. So, as we rinse, the micelle floats away and we are left with a clean surface!

Clothes Hands Dishes Surfaces. Learn More. About Ingredients. Ingredient Safety Initiative. Surfactants yellow cause water to lose surface tension, which is what keeps water separate from other materials Have you ever seen a bead of water sitting on a surface? What is a surfactant? Like a magnet has two ends, one end of the surfactant is attracted to water molecules while the other is repelled. But it was the s that brought the most significant innovation in the laundry, the addition of enzymes that "attack" specific types of stains.

It is those enzymes that separate the men from the boys when it comes to clean laundry. Every detergent manufacturer has secret ingredients and mixtures to produce their specific brands.

Many of these ingredients can be manufactured from plants; others are petroleum-based. It is the amount of each ingredient and how they are combined that affect the cleaning ability of the detergent. Alkalies, a major component in most laundry detergents, are soluble salts and a base that reacts with an acid to neutralize it. They are effective in removing dirt and stains from fabric without excessive rubbing. Soluble salts of an alkali metal like potassium or sodium are good grease removers.

They form an emulsion of the oily or solid particles that are held in suspension in wash water to be rinsed away. The first soap and detergent makers used plant ashes to produce alkalis. Today they are chemically produced by running electricity through salt water to produce sodium hydroxide NaOH or caustic soda and potassium hydroxide KOH or caustic potash. These are the most commonly used alkalies in soaps and detergents. Alkaline substances vary in their strength with the strongest causing burns and internal injuries if swallowed.

Strong alkalies can also damage fabrics and leave clothes feeling rough to the touch. Surfactants are one of the major components of laundry and cleaning products. They break up stains and suspend the dirt in the water to prevent the redeposition of the dirt onto the surface.

Surfactants disperse dirt that normally does not dissolve in water. They work like an oil and vinegar salad dressing. They do not mix unless shaken vigorously in the bottle and they separate almost immediately afterward.

The same is true when washing clothes. Surfactants "shake up" the soil which normally does not dissolve in water, making it dispersible and able to be removed with the wash water. In anionic surfactants, the head of the molecule is negatively charged. This particular type of surfactant is very good at removing oily dirt and stains unless used in water that is full of minerals like calcium and magnesium. The minerals keep the anionic surfactant from working properly.

You'll see anionic surfactants listed as alkyl sulfates, alkyl ethoxylate sulfates, and soaps in the ingredient list.

If you have hard water , you will get better cleaning results with a non-ionic surfactant. These surfactant molecules have no electrical charge. You'll find these surfactants listed as ethers of fatty alcohols on the label.

You may find them combined with anionic surfactants to complement and boost cleaning action. Enzymes can be natural or processed chemically. Different enzymes target specific soils and the catalytic action breaks the soil into smaller molecules to be washed away. Enzymes are naturally occurring; they help bread rise faster and increase wine yields.

The head of the molecule is attracted to water hydrophilic and the tail is attracted to grease and dirt hydrophobic. When the detergent molecules meet grease on clothes, the tails are drawn into the grease but the heads still sit in the water.

The attractive forces between the head groups and the water are so strong that the grease is lifted away from the surface. The blob of grease is now completely surrounded by detergent molecules and is broken into smaller pieces which are washed away by the water.

You can find out more about how detergents work here. The detergent molecules also help to make the washing process more effective by reducing the surface tension of the water. Surface tension is the force which helps a blob of water on a surface hold its shape and not spread out. The surfactant molecules of the detergent break apart these forces and make water behave, well, wetter!

Bubbles and soap films are made of a thin layer of water, sandwiched between two layers of soap molecules. You can make giant bubbles by mixing these ingredients together:. Use your hands to make a hoop-shape. Dip them in the bubble solution and blow gently but firmly. Using this method you should be able to blow bubbles up to about 60 cm in diameter! Dryness not sharpness breaks bubbles. Blow a large bubble then try putting your fingers inside it. If your hand is wet you can touch and even place your hand inside the bubble without bursting it!

Make a large hoop of string about 1 metre in diameter and tie 4 small loops at the corners to make handles. Dip this into the soap solution and with a friend pull the handles apart to form a giant soap film. Trying shaking one end and watch the wave travel along the film.

Wet a tray or the kitchen work-surface with your bubble solution. Using a straw, blow a large bubble. Push the straw through the original bubble and blow a smaller one inside.