Detergency Studies

Abstract

Natural soils on textiles usually contain both oily and solid components, and the generally accepted mechanism of soil removal postulates the emulsification and suspension of oil droplets or of solid particles covered with an intact oil film. Thus the ready removal of solid soil has been considered as dependent upon the presence of an emulsifiable oily soil, which had also served, prior to washing, to bind the solid soil more tightly to the fabric. Washing tests have been made on samples of cotton cloth soiled to the same extent with lampblack or iron oxide in the presence of an oily liquid binder, of non-oily, water-soluble liquid binders, and of no binder at all. The ease of removal of the pigments was equal or only slightly different in all of these cases, indicating that the removal of solid soil and of oily soil . are separate phenomena and not interrelated to any great extent. This result indicates the desirability of reconsidering the theory of soil removal, and a possible improvement and simplification of laboratory test methods for detergent action.