THE EFFECTS OF THE ACTION OF DETERGENT AND SOAP ON SOIL/DIRTY SUBSTANCE DURING WASHING

THE EFFECTS OF THE ACTION OF DETERGENT AND SOAP ON SOIL/DIRTY SUBSTANCE DURING WASHING

ABSTRACT

This seminar was carried out with the sole aim of knowing the effects of the action of soap and detergent on soil/dirty substance during washing. It was found out that soap and detergent are water – soluble sodium or potassium salt of fatly acids respectively which enhance the cleansing action of water in solution.

They cleans by acting as an emulsifier. Basically allow soil and water to mix so that oily grime can be removed during rinsing. Soap and detergent have similar molecular structure, having carrboxylate group known as hydrophilic (water loving) and hydrocarbon chain end called hydrophobic ( water hating ).in an emulsion of oil in water, the molecules are oriented around the oil droplet with the hydrocarbon chain dissolved in the oil and carboxylate group in the water.

The test carried out ascertain the effect of these soap and detergent on soil/ dirty substance where the use of launder meter test, the use of domestic washing test. The result from the test revealed that soap and detergent are excellent cleanser.

Although soap is an excellent cleanser, but cannot have up to 100% cleansing action in water due to some factors such as hardness of water reduce the effectiveness of soap by forming insoluble salt when dissolved in hard water.

The effect of this hardness of water could be overcome by precipitation softening and most wildly the introduction of soapless detergent for demostic and laundry purpose which are not affected by hard water because they form magnesium and calcium salt that are soluble in water.

THE EFFECTS OF THE ACTION OF DETERGENT AND SOAP ON SOIL/DIRTY SUBSTANCE DURING WASHING