This disinfectant should never be put together with laundry detergent, because...

Every time I wash clothes, I want to wash my underwear, pants, coats, socks... but I'm worried that mixed washing will lead to cross-infection of bacteria, so I use disinfectant to add a layer of protection.

So, is disinfectant really necessary? What is the difference between laundry beads, laundry detergent, and laundry powder? Is underwear laundry detergent useful? Today, let's talk about laundry.

Is it necessary to use disinfectant?

First of all, the surfactants in laundry detergent, laundry powder and laundry beads have the function of disinfection and sterilization. Some laundry detergents also contain special bactericide ingredients. So if there is no special need, it is okay not to add disinfectants.

However, if you are not confident about the disinfection and sterilization effect of laundry detergent, you can add additional disinfectant, but there is one thing you need to pay attention to when using it.

Common laundry disinfectants on the market include two categories, phenol disinfectants and quaternary ammonium disinfectants (there is also a category of chlorine-containing disinfectants represented by 84, but few people add them when washing clothes, so they will not be discussed here).

Quaternary ammonium disinfectant, picture taken from online store

If you are using a quaternary ammonium disinfectant, do not use it at the same time as laundry detergent. This is because the quaternary ammonium salts in quaternary ammonium disinfectants are in the form of cations, while the surfactants in laundry detergents are mainly anions. Using them at the same time may affect each other, resulting in reduced effectiveness of both products, and both the disinfection and cleaning effects will be worse. So you can wash your clothes first, then use the disinfectant.

If you are using a phenol disinfectant, you don't need to consider this. However, quaternary ammonium disinfectants are usually less irritating to the skin and mucous membranes, so you can choose as needed. In addition, when purchasing clothing disinfectants, it is best to choose disinfectants with the "Xiao" mark. Products with the "Xiao" mark have been reviewed and approved by the health department, and the disinfection and sterilization effect is more guaranteed.

Elimination mark, the picture was taken by the author

What is the difference between laundry detergent beads, laundry liquid, and laundry powder?

When laundry detergent beads first appeared, there was a saying that they were pure "IQ tax" and were just laundry detergent in a small package. This is incorrect.

It can be said that laundry beads are a super concentrated version of laundry detergent.

According to the "Safety Technical Specifications for Detergents" (GBT 26396-2011), laundry beads, laundry liquids, and laundry powders are all classified as Class C detergents. These products are not used directly for cleaning food or the human body, but may come into contact with human or animal skin during or after use.

Although these detergents come in powder or liquid forms, their main ingredients that enable them to clean are the surfactants.

When measuring the laundry ability of a detergent, the total amount of surfactants (also called total active matter) is an important reference indicator:

Washing powder: In "Washing Powder Part 1: Technical Requirements" (GB/T 13171.1-2022), the requirement for the total active matter in washing powder is that ordinary washing powder shall not be less than 11%, and concentrated type shall not be less than 13% (concentrated type I) and 18% (concentrated type II).

Laundry detergent: The standard "Liquid Detergents for Clothes" (QB/T 1224-2012) stipulates that the total active matter content of laundry detergent should not be less than 15% (ordinary type) and 25% (concentrated type).

Laundry Beads: There are no specific requirements for total active ingredients in the "Laundry Beads" (QB/T 5658-2021) standard. However, we can find references on the promotional pages of commercial products, and their total active ingredients can reach more than 70%, far exceeding ordinary laundry detergents and powders.

Promotional page for a certain brand of laundry beads, with an active ingredient content of over 78%. Image taken from a shopping platform

Although surfactants can be used to clean clothes, food and the body, they can have adverse effects on the body if ingested. The concentration of surfactants in laundry pods is much higher than other products, so it is very dangerous for infants and young children to ingest laundry pods.

Of course, laundry beads are generally used for machine washing. The liquid inside will be diluted during use and will not come into direct contact with the human body, so there is no danger in normal use.

Some special scenarios are worth noting.

For example, one pod can generally wash 6 to 8 loads of laundry. If you have too few clothes to wash, using a whole pod will not only be wasteful, but adding too little water may also leave detergent residue on the clothes.

Moreover, some laundry beads will be marked with "Do not use super-fast wash for less than 18 minutes" and "Do not use water-saving washing machines." These actually take into account that too little water use may cause detergent residue on clothes.

Notes on a laundry detergent bead, picture taken from the Internet

In addition, although laundry beads are designed for machine washing, some people will bring a laundry bead with them when traveling, and use only a little bit at a time to wash clothes. One laundry bead can be used for five or six days.

This is indeed very convenient, but because the washing scene now becomes hand washing, it is best to avoid direct skin contact with the liquid in the laundry beads when using them. It is best to squeeze them into the sink to dilute them before contact.

And if you are traveling with children, be careful to avoid contact with them.

Safety hazards of laundry beads

Liquid laundry beads were created much later than laundry powder and laundry liquid, and are truly a "post-00s" product. After the popularity of laundry beads, although it has made washing clothes more convenient, it has also brought some safety hazards. Because of the bright colors, many children mistakenly eat them for candy. In 2020, there were reports of children who almost died after accidentally eating laundry beads.

Our country's " Laundry Gel Beads" (QB/T 5658-2021) takes into account the design of the outer packaging of laundry gel beads to prevent infants and young children from accidentally ingesting them. This includes:

Add bittering agent to the water-soluble film of laundry beads;

Mark a warning such as "Keep out of reach of children" in a prominent place;

The volume of a single laundry pod should not be less than 10 ml (to prevent young children from swallowing it in one gulp);

The packaging should also use an opaque outer packaging to prevent the colorful balls inside from attracting young children;

The packaging must also be child-proof and requires both hands to open.

Although "Laundry Beads" (QB/T 5658-2021) is not a mandatory standard, many businesses have adopted this design, after all, it is closely related to the life safety of young children. And it is this design that has created the "anti-human box" we see.

Relevant provisions in the standard "Laundry Beads" (QB/T 5658-2021)

For example, this one has several buckles on the lid, and it takes a lot of force to open each buckle.

There is also this type, which requires you to press hard on both sides at the same time and twist it to open it. It is particularly unfriendly to people with small hands.

The picture is taken from the social platform

In fact, the merchant deliberately designed this packaging. On the one hand, of course, it is to keep the laundry beads inside dry and avoid moisture and melting. More importantly, this is a child-proof design that can prevent young children from accidentally ingesting the laundry beads and avoid danger.

Is underwear laundry detergent necessary?

In addition to laundry beads and laundry detergent, there are some laundry detergents on the market that are specifically used to wash underwear. Is there any difference between such laundry detergents and ordinary laundry detergents? Is it necessary to buy them separately?

First of all, it is certain that they are different.

Compared with ordinary laundry detergent, underwear laundry detergent has two particularly prominent features when it is promoted. One is that it removes blood stains, and the other is that it does not hurt hands. Let’s talk about them one by one.

As mentioned above, the main cleaning ingredients in laundry detergent, laundry powder and laundry beads are surfactants. But in addition to these, there are many other cleaning-related ingredients, including enzymes and additives that are related to removing blood stains and not hurting hands.

Enzyme preparations are a type of biological catalyst with special functions. The more common ones in laundry detergents include proteases, lipases, amylases, cellulases, etc. They have special removal effects on stains such as blood, milk, oil, coffee, etc. Some laundry detergents say that "enzyme" ingredients have been added, which are also enzyme preparations.

Not all laundry detergents contain enzymes. However, underwear laundry detergents (especially those for women) contain enzymes such as protease and cellulase. Their purpose is to better remove blood stains and secretions. They are more targeted than ordinary laundry detergents.

In addition to enzyme preparations, detergents also contain additives. Additives can soften the water quality and prevent calcium and magnesium ions in the water from affecting surfactants. In addition, they are also responsible for maintaining the acidity and alkalinity of the water (i.e. pH value).

For example, in the GB/T 13171.1-2022 specification mentioned above, the pH value requirement for laundry detergent is less than 11. In the QB/T 1224-2012 specification, the pH value requirement for laundry detergent is within 10.5.

Because underwear-specific laundry detergents are used for hand washing, they maintain a pH value within a weakly acidic range (closer to the pH value of the skin surface), making them gentler. A weakly acidic environment means that their pH value needs to be controlled within 7, which is indeed much lower than the pH value of ordinary laundry detergents and powders.

So considering these two characteristics, underwear laundry detergent does have its special features and can be purchased if needed.

Is thicker laundry detergent better?

Some people may have a misunderstanding about laundry detergent, thinking that the thicker the detergent, the better. This is not absolute.

Some laundry detergents may contain plasticizers to make them look thicker. However, the washing effect has nothing to do with the thickness. The washing effect of laundry detergent is mainly related to the total active ingredients, additives, enzyme preparations and other cleaning ingredients, and has no direct relationship with the thickness.

There are even some fake products made by mixing water and plasticizers. Such products certainly have no cleaning effect. So when purchasing, you should still look for regular brands. Don't use the degree of thinness and consistency as a basis for judgment.

References

[1] Reynolds, Kate M. (October 2021). "Evaluation of Liquid Laundry Detergent Packet Exposures Reported to the National Poison Data System (NPDS) Before and After the Implementation of American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Safety Standard (2012-2020)". Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety

[2] Laundry Detergent Beads (QB/T 5658-2021)

[3] Safety Technical Specifications for Detergents (GBT 26396-2011)

[4] Washing powder - Part 1: Technical requirements (GB/T 13171.1-2022)

[5] Liquid Detergents for Clothes (QB/T 1224-2012)

Planning and production

Author: Science Scraps Popular Science Writer

Review丨Sun Mingxuan, Professor of Shanghai University of Engineering Science

Planning丨Fu Sijia

Editor: Fu Sijia

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin