Washing your laundry involves a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and the proper washing conditions to thoroughly clean the clothing garments of stains, dirt, grime, and even odors. There are a wide variety of laundry care products that have been manufactured for consumer use to improve the functions of your washing cycle and cleaning process – from freshening beads, fabric softener, and even additives that can enhance either the quality of the fabric or remove odors and grime from the material of the fabrics you are trying to clean. However, when it comes to the actual cleaning of your clothing, the detergent you use is of the utmost importance – and the different types of detergent that a household can buy is plentiful – with different scents, colors, and types (liquid or powder) for you to select from when shopping for detergent. Typically, you are either a liquid laundry detergent user or a powder laundry detergent user – this may be based off of the type of washing machine you use and just personal preference. But, is there other factors that you may want to consider when selecting between powder and liquid laundry detergent? In this article we are going to discuss the difference between powder vs liquid detergent, and what should you know about laundry detergent and its ingredients. 

What Does Detergent Do

Cleaning our clothes in the washing machine is often done so through the use of laundry detergent or soap, that has been used for decades to thoroughly wash fabrics and strip them of dirt, grime, stains, and even odors harbored on the material of the clothing. Detergent is a cleaning agent comprised of different chemical substances that are used to break up and remove grime from porous surfaces including a wide range of different fabrics that are used today in manufactured clothing. The main ingredient used in detergent that is responsible for the dispersion of dirt and grime on the material of clothing is the surfactants – a major component of laundry detergent that quickly acts when initiated in the washing machine. Every detergent manufacturer that produces laundry detergent for consumers uses a different amalgam of chemicals and ingredients within the composition of their detergent. Depending on the specific construction of the detergent, the solution will work in a specific way to clean the clothing thoroughly when placed in the washing machine.

How Does Laundry Detergent Work

As we discussed above, the main ingredient of laundry detergent is surfactants, that work to clean the clothing and remove dirt from the material. Surfactants, also known as surface active agents, are constructed of molecules with one special property. The surfactant has two ends, one end of the surfactant is attracted to water-repelling substances like oil and grease, while the other end of the molecule is specifically attracted to water. These two opposing sides work together to properly clean both the grease and oils, as well as the odors and stains all through the use of these surfactants. Once the surfactant molecules attach themselves to a bit of dirt on your clothes, they will work to remove the dirt by lifting it into the water. The laundry detergent works in a three-fold process to thoroughly work to clean the clothes; chemical energy, thermal energy, and mechanical energy that need to be used to wash clothing. The chemical energy is the laundry detergent – depending on the laundry detergent you select; the final results of the clean will vary. Thermal energy refers to water temperature – different detergents work best with either hot or cold-water temperatures. Lastly, mechanic energy comes from the washer as it goes through the wash and spin cycles to clean the clothing.

Laundry Detergent Ingredients

Laundry detergent is composed of a mix of different chemical agents that are used to function in a specific manner to clean the clothing. The major chemical components used in most laundry detergent ingredients, both liquid and powder, includes the following chemicals:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate & Sodium Laureth Sulfate/ Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLS/SLES)
• Phosphates
• Formaldehyde
• Chlorine bleach
• Ammonium sulfate
• Dioxane (1,4 Dioxane)
• Optical Brighteners
• Ammonium Quaternary Sanitizers (Quats)
• Nonylphenol Ethoxylates
• Fragrance
• Dyes
• Benzyl Acetate

Powder Detergent vs Liquid Detergent

Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that the average family does about 400 loads of laundry per year? That is a lot of laundry detergent to go through, which is not only expensive but can also be harmful to your clothing after numerous washes. Laundry detergent comes in a variety of forms including scent, color, and even different forms of laundry (powder or liquid). It has been a long-standing debate against the effectiveness of powder detergent vs liquid detergent – whether one is better at cleaning certain fabrics or even if one is better than the other in certain washing machines. Liquid laundry detergent is among the most popular form of laundry detergent for most individuals – due to its highly effective power to clean the clothing. Liquid detergent is not only highly effective, but they are also easy to apply into the washing machine; with a quick pour and measure, you can dump the liquid into the washing machine to begin its washing cycle. Additionally, liquid laundry detergent is relativity inexpensive, lasting you for many washes making it a great option for many households. Powder laundry detergent are also an effective cleaning method for your clothing and can sometimes be superior to liquid laundry detergent. Powder detergent is generally more effective at removing stains than liquid detergent. Also, powder detergent is better for the environment than liquid detergent, as the plastic bottles that liquid is placed in is harmful to the environment – whereas cardboard boxes for powder detergent can be easily recycled.

What Can I Use Instead of Laundry Detergent for Odor Removal?

Laundry detergents can work and attack certain debris trapped within clothing that will label the clothing as ‘dirty’ – whether it be dirt, grime, stains, and even odors that are emitted from the fabric. However, not all detergents will work against everything present on the clothing, and most of the time this is the smelly odors stuck on the fabric that are not easily pushed offed and removed from the clothing with the use of laundry detergent. Odors can become embedded into the fabric of the clothing material that even with multiple washes will not be stripped from the material – not even with boat loads of laundry detergent. When it comes to the removal of odors from your clothing’s fabric, it may require the use of just more than laundry detergent and your washing machine. There are a wide variety of laundry additives available to consumers that will help to remove odors from the fabric, but which is the best and most effective laundry additive for odor removal?

Best Laundry Additive for Odor Removal

The OdorKlenz Laundry Additive is a revolutionary odor removing product that utilizes a patented earth mineral technology that is designed to break down and/or neutralize the noxious odors at the source – without the use of masking agents or chemicals. When it comes to the tough odor that is stuck on the fabric of your clothing, no odor is a match for the proprietary OdorKlenz technology, this includes the following odors; smoke, grease and oil, body odor, mildew, fragrance, chemical smells, and urine odors. OdorKlenz can be easily applied into your washing machine, by simply adding it with your regular laundry detergent. Instantly, you will be amazed with the results that you find after you finish the wash cycle.