During the middle ages the use of soap was considered unnatural. Some historians suggest the rejection of soap, and the associated lack of hygiene, may have contributed to the Black Death that ravaged Europe. For More info: http://ecologicalsurfactants.com/

1. Understanding Your Laundry Detergent
How clothes are cleaned
Most people do not realize that it is the water in the washing machine that does most of the cleaning, not
the detergent. Primarily, it is the water that mixing with the dirt on the clothes that lifts off the soiling
matter and holds it in suspension. Then when the washing machine drains the water finishes the job by
carrying the dirt away with it.
Question: So, if the water does the work, why do we need the detergent? Answer: Because the detergent
makes it all happen more efficiently.
Although water appears to be one large body of fluid actually it's not. In fact it is made up of minuscule
balls of water because of a phenomenon called surface tension. The job of detergent is to break down this
surface tension. Once the surface tension is broken the water will mix better with other water molecules.
By lowering its surface tension the water can be made to penetrate the clothing fabric rather than slide off
its surface. So in effect the detergent makes the water more efficient. Some people describe it as making
the water "slippery". The result is that the water can attack the dirt more aggressively, loosen it, and then
hold it until it can be washed away.
Also, the detergent helps keep the dirt suspended within the water. This is necessary to prevent the dirt
from reattaching itself to the clothing fabric.
Detergent and hard water
When detergent is used in hard water it produces soap scum. Yes, the same stuff that makes that ring
inside your bathtub. The harder the water the more soap scum.
Water hardness is a measure of its mineral content. So, the more minerals, the more soap scum. The more
scum, the less concentrated the detergent. Therefore, if your water is hard you need to compensate by
using more detergent. Conversely, the softer the water the less detergent is required to clean the clothes. If
you read the detergent box it will usually indicate how much detergent is needed for different water
hardness.
Unsure of your water hardness? Telephone your municipality or water provider and ask for the water
hardness level. It is quoted in grains. That is, 2-4 grains is soft, 4-6 grains is medium, and above 6-8
grains is hard water. If you don't know your water hardness, then experiment. Cut back on your detergent.
If the clothes still come out clean, cut back further.
Once the perfect amount of detergent required is determined continue to use this same amount for every
load. Always use a measuring cup to dispense your detergent. The plastic one that usually comes in the
detergent box is sufficient. Use a marking pen to draw a line on the measure so your proper quantity will
be consistent. Simply dumping out a quantity from the box is wasteful and will contribute to poor
cleaning results.
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