No need to use detergents to wash clothes!
2005/04/17 Rementeria Argote, Nagore - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa
The man has been improving soaps and detergents for centuries to wash clothes and body. At first they didn't know how soap worked, that is, how it exactly extracted dirt. If new substances were tested and a better result was obtained, this substance was added to the initial formula. This technique is also very common in the manufacture of detergents and cosmetics.
But science has also advanced in this field and thanks to laboratory work, it has been possible to know how soaps and detergents work, that is, how they are cleaned. The improvements currently made in detergents come from the knowledge of this operation. And not only with regard to the detergents, but they are investigating how the entire process occurs in the washing machines, thus bringing the maximum performance to the washing machine and the detergent.
Within these investigations there is one that is especially interesting, since, even if it seems a lie, to wash clothes do not use soaps or detergents. The proposal of researchers from the National University of Australia is completely new: they only use water to clean up fat spots. But water without gas.
View of the spot with the magnifier
To know the secret of water, we will look with magnifying glass. It is a way of saying, because many things in the water can't be seen with the best microscope. But it deserves a small effort. In the water there are air bubbles, among others. When in contact with air, air gases (oxygen and nitrogen mainly) are immersed in water forming very small bubbles.
These Australian researchers use water without air bubbles as detergent. There are several ways to remove these bubbles, but it seems that when filtering them with a porous membrane they are easily removed from water. The process, moreover, is very cheap.
The cause of the removal of bubbles or gases is quite simple: the air bubbles in the water prevent the work of laundry detergents, they are placed on the grease stain and, as it were, in some way, protect this stain from the detergent. By eliminating these bubbles, the water comes directly to the fat attached to the tissue, which facilitates its release. That is, the fat passes from the fabric to the water, leaving the clothes clean.
Only water
Well, these researchers came up with pure water without any detergent, and to test water efficiency two types of water were used: water without gas and distilled water (also called pure water, which does not contain dissolved salts or other substances). In the test strips, water without gas and distilled water were taken, introducing a tissue anointed with fat.
And the best result, undoubtedly, was the water without gas: the water was cloudy, a sign that the fat passed to the water. And not only that, that dirt that has passed into the water, when the water has come into contact with the air, is aggravated and precipitated (falls to the bottom) and does not adhere to the tissue.
The truth is that a good detergent needs two characteristics that are directly related to the cleaning process; on the one hand, it must easily remove from the tissue the substance that has produced the stain (fat, chocolate, fruit juice...), but the second characteristic is as important as the first: it must keep it in the water, avoid returning to the tissue, otherwise it would be a useless job.
Another notable advantage of the gas free water compared to conventional detergents is that it does not contaminate. Once soap and detergents have been used to wash clothes, they reach rivers and streams, and their components cause excessive growth of algae and vegetation, breaking the balance of ecosystems.
The water without gas does not generate this type of problems. But it is not a solution for all types of spots, since it serves to clean traces of fat, but not for other types of malignant spots like chocolate, grass, milk... These stick very strongly to clothes and for their cleaning are necessary chemical additives.
However, it can be a breakthrough, at least it will allow you to use as few additives as possible, meaning that a cheaper and greener detergent can be on the way. And the clothes will not be treated too much in each wash, colors and texture will be maintained. Another thing is that we can show at home the advantages of water without gas…
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