Surfactants and cleaning detergency

How do we clean the various surfaces How do surfactants work We recall that surfactants are crucial elements but not the only component of commercial detergent formulations. Detergents contain also builders, possibly enzymes and other components. 

A detergent is a very complex chemical product. Its cleaning abUity depends on several factors type of surfactant and other compounds (chemistry), the concentration of contaminants, the mechanical energy used, the lime, the temperature, the type of surface, etc. 

improving the wetting of surfaces by decreasing the surface tension of water/aqueous solution (water alone cannot in most cases provide good wetting)  

good adhesion on substrate and dirt and reduction of the interfacial tensions between dirt(d)-water(w) and solid substrate(s)-water and thus reducing the corresponding work of adhesion, since the interfacial tensions between dirt-water and solid-water are reduced 

solubilization of dirt inside micelles, which ensures that the dirt is removed with little mechanical help, thus avoiding deposition of the dirt back on the surface. 

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