Regine Labeque

B.1.I – Laundry Cleaning of Textiles

This chapter reviews the different aspects of textile cleaning and laundry detergents. A brief introduction to textiles, soils, and different detergent forms is given, and the key ingredients and cleaning mechanisms in a modern domestic laundry detergent (comprising surfactants, bleach, enzymes, builders, chelants, polymers, and others) are covered. Performance test methods and future trends are also analyzed. Over the past decades, a stream of innovations has led to more and more effective and efficient laundry detergents. These innovations were partly driven by the need to ensure compatibility with modern textiles and washing appliances. An even more important factor driving the innovations comes from the need to minimize environmental impact and from the consumer wish for increased performance and convenience. This approach has led to the development of superior products with readily biodegradable surfactants, new builders which replace phosphates, an optimized bleach system along with enzymes that take a more central role in many textile-cleaning products. Several other additives have been developed to strengthen specific performance areas and/or to deliver fabric care benefits. In addition to the formulation, the physical form of the laundry products has also evolved over time, from classical granules to liquids, then to compact granules and liquids, and more recently, to tablets and single-dose liquid laundry products (liquitabs).