In the household chemicals market, the lion's share of the counters is occupied by ordinary washing products: powders, capsules and liquid gels, and only a small part of the windows are occupied by eco-chemistry. Such funds did not receive wide publicity, so many buyers bypass them and choose the usual ones.
Why become a victim of advertising and the harmful effects of harmful chemicals? If you know the composition of the washing powder, you can choose the most safe for washing clothes. Next, we will look at what chemical and natural products are made of so that you can make informed choices.
The chemical composition of washing powder: what is added according to GOST
First, consider what is added to the vast majority of conventional automatic powders:
- Anionic surfactants (A-surfactants). The level of foaming depends on these surfactants. These components are distinguished by their minimum cost and well wash spots, eliminate greasy marks.
But there are more minuses: they dissolve not only the fat on the clothes, but also the protective layer on the skin of the hands; almost never washed out of the tissues, therefore, through the skin they enter the body and accumulate in the internal organs, which ultimately leads to a number of diseases. For example, in the EU it is forbidden to add more than 2% A-surfactants to the composition of funds, and we have powders with a 15-30% level. - Nonionic surfactants. They clean the tissues, acting inside the materials, so they penetrate deep into the structure of the fibers. They are not toxic, they break up very well. In view of low foaming, they are used in combination with A-surfactants. The effectiveness of nonionic substances is better at low temperatures.
Usually can be found in the composition of washing gels - there they are present in minimal amounts, not more than 5%. - Oxygen bleaches. Their calling is the neutralization of yellowness on the fabric. In oxygen-containing powders of recent years, sodium percarbonate is used as such a bleach, which not only bleaches, but also performs other tasks: disinfection, elimination of odors. The substance is non-toxic, decomposes well.
- Phosphonates. Soften water for a more efficient wash. They are considered less toxic substances that phosphates replace today - the harm of the latter is known to almost everyone.
- Polycarboxylate added to the powder in order to protect the parts of the washing machine from rust, also softens the water. Safe for humans and the environment.
- Zeolites. These are the so-called absorbents that neutralize dirt. In combination with phosphanites, they replace phosphates, making water softer. Only natural zeolites are not harmful to living organisms, and synthetic zeolites are just as harmful as phosphates. In cheap powders, you are unlikely to find BIO zeolites.
- Enzymes Protein stains of surfactants cannot be eliminated, therefore, compounds that can destroy organic compounds, including protein, are used. In budget funds, the enzyme is one for all types of spots, in expensive ones, there are separate species for different types of pollution.
At temperatures above 40 degrees, enzymes are destroyed, since they themselves have a protein structure. Their toxicity at an average level - can cause skin reactions, as well as spoil things from natural tissues. - Optical brighteners. This is the “descendant” of blue, which tricked things into brighter and whiter. Optical brightener works on the same principle: absorbs UV rays, converting them into blue light. Roughly speaking, this is not a bleaching agent at all, but a coloring. They penetrate deeply into tissues and are not washed out, they can cause allergies.
- Aromatic additives and fragrances. They do not just add flavor to the powders, but mask unpleasant odors. There are both chemical and natural. As a rule, they do not write about this in a pack, but it is also clear that artificially synthesized substances will most likely be in cheap powder.
Be that as it may, these are allergens that can cause irritation - both skin and mucous membranes.
Other components
We have listed typical components. There are other components that are usually added to powders with the effect of "blinding whiteness" and "frosty freshness":
- Sodium Tripolyphosphate. This is a classic phosphate that softens water. Easily found in any cheap powder.
- Sodium hypochloride. Chlorine bleach that harms the body and enhances the action of surfactants and phosphates. In almost all powders it has been replaced by oxygen bleaches, but it can still be found in some inexpensive product.
- Cationic surfactants. Not very powerful, but can reduce the damage from A-surfactants. They have bactericidal properties, are part of expensive rinses and powders.
Secret components
These substances may be present in the detergent, and the manufacturer may “forget” to mention them:
- TAED - whitening activators. Oxygen bleaches work only at high temperature conditions (over 80 degrees). To activate them in cold water, TAED is used. If you see oxygen bleach in the composition, there is not a word about TAED, but it is written that the powder removes stains at low temperatures, it is possible that the manufacturer did not say anything.
- Antiresorbent may be present in the detergent to prevent dirt from sticking back to the laundered laundry.
- Phthalate fixes the smell and prevents it from weathering. If you are promised that the blouse will smell good for a long time, then there are clearly phthalates in the composition. They also reduce the percentage of dust in the powder and prevent it from clumping.
As you can see, the composition of the usual powders or washing gels contains “pests”. Therefore, to approach the choice is selective.
GOST requirements
All of these chemicals harm or do not harm the body at a certain concentration. The GOST states the density for the most harmful components, as well as the requirements for the appearance of the powder and other points:
- Outwardly, the powder should look like a granular mixture from white to light yellow, but dyeing is also acceptable.
- Unpainted powders should be 60% white.
- Mass fraction of dust should not exceed 5%.
- The concentration of hydrogen ions should vary from 7.5 to 11.5 pH.
- Mass fraction of phosphate salts is not more than 22 percent.
- Foaming no more than 20 centimeters.
- The washing ability is not less than 85%.
- Bleaching (for powders with chemical bleaches) at least 80%.
- The shelf life for products with chemical bleaches or bio-additives is at least 9 months from the date of manufacture. Other means in the expiration date are not limited.
- Mass fraction of active oxygen should not exceed the mark of 6%.
There are other Gosstandart requirements for washing powders, but we have listed the main ones. When choosing, it is not necessary to rely on GOST, for example, often safe IVF powders are made not at all according to GOST, and there is no harmful “chemistry” in them. We will talk about the composition of natural powders below.
What are natural washing powders made of?
In BIO-powders, manufacturers seek to replace all harmful substances with harmless analogues:
- Surfactants are replaced biological surfactants (eco-surfactants). They are compounds of glucose, potato, wheat and rice, as well as fatty alcohols from coconut or palm oil. They may also contain yeast or bacteria - this does not particularly affect the quality of the wash, but greatly simplifies the breakdown of funds, preventing their harm to the environment.
- All chemical and optical whitening ingredients replaced on auxiliary and nonionic surfactants. They show excellent whitening performance and are harmless.
- Instead of phosphates, natural powder contains sodium disilicatelinking part of the hardness salts of water. It has an effect similar to phosphates: water softening, care for the details of the washing machine. Especially effective means with a 15-55 percent content of this substance.
- In IVF powder you will not find chlorine and active oxygen, instead it will be peroxide stabilizer or water soluble complexing agent organic origin.
- Instead of a chemical fragrance in a safe tool, it is used natural essential oil or their whole complex.
Popular washing powders: which are more natural
We will tell you about the most popular automatic powders, which can be found in almost any store, so you can decide for yourself whether it is worth buying each of them or not.
Phosphates,% | A-surfactant,% | Optical brightener | Phosphonates | Zeolites |
Ariel Professional System | 15-30 | 5-15 | + | |
Ariel Color Clean Deluxe | 5-10 | + | + | |
Gloss Total System 9 | 5-15 | + | + | |
Myth "Frosty Freshness" BIO + Oxygen | 15-30 | + | ||
Tide children | 15-30 | + | + | |
Persil-automatic Color | + | + | + | |
Concentrated laundry detergent Amway SA8 | + | + | ||
Pemos | + | |||
Lotus | 5-15 | >5% | ||
Biolan | 5-15 | 5-15 | + | |
Seagull "Northern Lights" | 5 | + | ||
Children's Ekol | 15-30 | + |
We are not going to advertise eco-and bio-powders - now you just know what components you should be wary of in familiar powders. When choosing another detergent, take a look at the label. In life, and so enough is harmful - even if at least the powder does not spoil the health.