Detergents for Laundering Textiles

Abstract

Production of contemporary detergents is aimed at savings and environmental protection, while trying to upgrade the quality at the same time. Efficient detergents are produced and the content of applied mass and. active matter made higher. For the last ten years “compact” detergents have been launched, characterised by a significant reduction of the quantity needed to perform the laundering. Fillers have been eliminated from the detergents, while highly active and biodegradable products have been added as surface-active agents. The content of enzymes has been increased, using various combinations. Bleaching activators play an important role in contemporary detergents. Conventional laundering detergents, constituting 55 % of all the detergents produced, are still produced in Europe, but the introduction of compact detergents, which constitute some 30 % of the production at the moment, is expected. The rest (15 %) are liquid detergents. Thanks to the content of anionic surfactants, enzymes and bleaching activators, contemporary detergents can be used at considerably lower laundering temperatures and offer the benefit of lower water and electricity consumption (up to 50 % in the last 15 years).