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Laundry Supplies and Tips

© Judy Brown

There are so many laundry aids on the market today. There's liquid soap, powder soap, soap tabs, bleach, pre-wash stain treatments and the list goes on. So what should you have on hand to make sure your clothes get cleaned properly?

Laundry Soaps and Detergents

In all my years of doing laundry I've tried every soap and detergent known to man. I've come to the conclusion that - laundry soap is laundry soap - you don't have to buy the most advertised, expensive product to get clothes clean. Most of us have our favorites, but even the cheapest detergents do a good job if used correctly.

Soap or Detergent?

Soap is a fat based product and was first discovered by accident. The Soap and Detergent Institute (SDA)Soap got its name, according to an ancient Roman legend, froSapount Sapo, where animals were sacrificed. Rain washed a mixture of melted animal fat, or tallow, and wood ashes down into the clay soil alTiberhe Tiber River. Women found that this clay mixture made their wash cleaner with much less effort.

Detergent

When fat was hard to get during the firstsoapmakers, soapmakers started to look for other ways to manufacture cleaning products and came up with detergents. According to the SDA: synthetic detergents are non-soap washing and cleaning products that are "synthesized" or put together chemically from a variety of raw materials. The discovery of detergents was also driven by the need for a cleaning agent that, unlike soap, would not combine with the mineral salts in water to form an insoluble substance known as soap curd.

Today detergents are used for most of our laundry needs. There are some soap products that claim to do a better job on delicate fabrics, woolens and baby items.

Liquid or Powder?

Liquid detergents do a good job when you're using cold water and are more effective at washing oily or grease-stained fabrics. Powders tend to clump up and may not be quite as effective in cold water but as long as you don't use too much they clean just as well.

Powder detergents are better for getting heavily soiled articles cleaned.

How Much?

Don't use too much, most manufacturers include an instruction booklet with the washer. Read it, and see what is recommended for your washer. Usually they say to follow the directions on the detergent box. I find that you can usually use slightly less than what is called for and still have good results. Don't use too much, if your garments are heavily soiled more soap isn't going to make them cleaner, pre-treat them with a stain remover or grease cutting handcleaners.

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