Laundry Detergents

What is a detergent?

The active ingredients in both laundry powders and liquids are surfactants, also known as detergents (hence the product name). These are typically charged or ‘ionic’ molecules that have two distinct parts to their structure. One part interacts well with water and the other interacts with oils.

The main ingredient of laundry liquid is water. The remaining ingredients have to be carefully considered. They must be stable in the bottle and then work together in the wash.

These include similar ingredients to the powders, such as alkaline salts, metal sequestrants, water softeners and surfactants.