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Ever thought about what happens after you have place your clothes within the wash? All of us spend some time picking out the right laundry soap whether for fragrance or eco-friendliness - heck, some of us even make our very own! But exactly how does laundry detergent get the clothes clean?

Free and Clear Laundry Detergent

There are so many different types of dirty that it's difficult to imagine one type of product can treat all of them. Be it the children playing outside getting mud and dirt caked to their clothes, your gym clothes soaking in sweat from an intense workout or simply a shirt that you simply put in the wash after a day's living in the world - clothes get dirty in so many different ways and also to many varying degrees.

Continue reading for more information regarding your detergent and learn exactly what is happening when you close the lid on your washing machine.

Laundry soap Reduces the Surface Tension water

This is a bit of a strange one - did you know that without laundry soap, water isn't able to completely penetrate the material of the clothes? Laundry soap lowers the top tension of water, letting it penetrate fabric completely and lift stains. It helps all of the oils and dirt dissolve in water - the initial step to getting your clothes clean.

Laundry Detergent Additives

Enzymes in your detergent help to break up built up protein-based stains that are challenging escape. Light bleach additives also break down these build ups and your laundry detergent bonds with dirt and pulls it from your fabrics as the machine spins. An excessive amount of bleach can harm your fabric, but a small amount will help whiten clothing without causing spotting and discolouration.

Electric Charge

Anionic surfactants inside your detergent attach to both the dirt in your fabrics and the fabrics themselves to create a repellent, electrical charge. As you may remember from high school science classes, two of the same charges cannot attract, so instead the dirt is 'forced' from your washing. These anionic surfactants also prevent dirt and soil from finding their way back for your fabrics following the washing machine has finished its cycle.

So there you have it! There are a few different factors to the way your laundry detergent gets soils, dirt and build ups from your clothes. From simple enzymes that break down grime to electric charges that repel built up dirt, it really is nifty how your clothes get clean.