Surf excel Turbo Clean Detergent Powder

About Detergent Powder: The word detergent is derived from the Latin adjective detergens, from the verb detergere, meaning to wipe or polish off. Detergent can be defined as a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions.^[1] However, conventionally, detergent is used to mean synthetic cleaning compounds. Laundry detergent or washing powder is a substance that is a type of cleaning agent that is added for cleaning laundry. In common usage, “detergent” refers to mixtures of chemical compounds including alkyl benzene sulfonates, which are similar to soap but are less affected by hard water. In domestic contexts, the term detergent refers to household cleaning products such as laundry detergent or dish detergent, which are in fact complex mixtures of different compounds, not all of which are by themselves detergents.

History: During the First World War, there was a shortage of oils and fats needed to make soap. In order find alternatives for soap, synthetic detergents were made in Germany by chemists using raw material derived from coal tar.^[13][14][9] These early products, however, did not provide sufficient detergency. In 1928, effective detergent was made through the sulfation of fatty alcohol, but large-scale production was not feasible until low-cost fatty alcohols become available in the early 1930s.^[15] The synthetic detergent created was more effective and less likely to form scum than soap in hard water, and can also eliminate acid and alkaline reactions and decompose dirt.

Importance: Laundry detergents are the key cleaning product used in laundry. Their job is to remove stains, dirt, and odors from washable laundry items. Whether your laundry is bedsheets, athletic uniforms, jeans, work uniforms, dress clothes, or kids’ play clothes, detergent does most of the work in cleaning.

 Effects of detergents on health:

Allergies and Asthma.If you have sensitive skin, you may be more apt to have reactions when you come in contact with certain substances like phosphates. But for some people, the reactions can be more severe. A recent study found that even after a complete wash and rinse, laundry soap residue on fabric could trigger an asthma attack or allergic reaction due to its effect on the function of human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs).

Carcinogens

It’s safe to say that we all want to steer clear of cancer-causing substances, or carcinogens, as much as possible. But some of them could be hiding in plain sight—right in our laundry rooms.

A University of Washington researcher found that, when run through the dryer, some types of scented laundry detergent emit hazardous air pollutants from the dryer vent, including the known carcinogens benzene and acetaldehyde. Additionally, other potentially dangerous carcinogens can also be found as a by-product in your scented laundry detergent ingredients such as 1,4-dioxane.

Endocrine Disruptors

Nonylphenol Ethoxylates, or NPEs, are a potentially dangerous hormone disruptor present in some conventional laundry detergents. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently working to reduce their usage and provide alternative substances to keep NPE’s from being overused. NPEs pose concerning health risks to not only the human reproductive system, but also aquatic life.

 Effects of detergents on the environment:

Phosphates and Algae

Those same phosphates that could cause health issues are also a major point of concern when it comes to our water resources. Excess phosphate in water leads to the growth of the toxic blue-green algae blooms that have been appearing more and more in previously pristine freshwater lakes.

And algae blooms don’t just affect the aquatic ecology—blue-green algae is toxic to pets and people when ingested, and causes dermatological issues in humans when you come into physical contact.

Microplastics

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that are sometimes present in consumer products like laundry detergent and body wash, intended to help give you a deeper clean. But these same particles are showing up everywhere from the ocean to the food chain. With approximately 94% of the ocean’s plastic pollutants made up of microplastics, laundry detergent could be a significant source of this contaminant.