Interplay of surfactants with other detergent ingredients

5 Interplay of surfactants with other detergent ingredients 

The presence of surfactants also influences the overall efficiency of other active ingredients of detergents, e.g. bleach and enzymes. Afirst requirement for the efficacy of these ingredients is a wetting of the textile substrate and hydrophobic or oily soils by the washing liquor. Besides this wetting function, all the other effects of soil removal of surfactants which have been 

1 Oxidation and, hence, discolouration of chromophores in coloured soils such as tea, red wine or fruit juice 

2 Hydrophilisation of hydrophobic soils by partial oxidation. In this way the wettability and the detachment of these soils is promoted 

3 Cleavage of polymeric structures of soils so that the fragments of these soils can be more easily removed by surfactants 

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