When did it become common for optical brighteners to be added to commercial laundry detergent?

History

When did laundry detergent become popular?

Such detergents were mainly used in industry until after World War II. By then, new developments and the later conversion of aviation fuel plants to produce tetrapropylene, used in household detergents production, caused a fast growth of domestic use in the late 1940s.

What is an optical brightener in laundry detergent?

Laundry Cleaning of Textiles



Also called optical brighteners, these are fluorescent materials that can absorb UV light and emit visible (blue–violet) light [55]. Thus, once deposited on fabrics, they enhance the whiteness or brightness appearance of white or lightly coloured fabrics.

Does all detergent have optical brighteners?

Do All Detergent Have Optical Brighteners? No, not all laundry detergents have optical brighteners in them! Optical brighteners are synthetic chemicals. So if you’re trying to keep chemicals away from your precious little ones’ skin, this is something you should be checking out on the labels!

When was laundry detergent invented?

The world’s first commercially available laundry powder was Persil, introduced by the German company Henkel in 1907. The name derived from perborate and silicate, two key components in the product.
 

Where are optical brighteners found?

Optical brighteners are primarily added to laundry soaps, detergents, and cleaning agents for the purpose of brightening fabrics and/or surfaces. Optical brighteners are dyes that are added to essentially all laundry detergents. These brighteners are adsorbed by fabric and brighten clothing.

What is the history of detergents?

During World War I and again in World War II, there was a shortage of animal and vegetable fats and oils that were used in making soap. Chemists had to use other raw materials instead, which were “synthesized” into chemicals with similar properties. These are what are known today as “detergents.”

What was the first commercially available detergent?

Persil

It was a scientific breakthrough. Persil, introduced by the German company Henkel in 1907 was the world’s first laundry powder. The name derives from perborate and silicate, two key components in the product.

What laundry detergent was introduced in 1950?

Cheer is a laundry detergent sold in the United States and Canada. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble. It was introduced in 1950, and after a slight reformulation in 1952, was a highly successful follow up to P&G’s Tide product from 1948 to 1949.



What are the names of optical brighteners in laundry detergent?

Other Names for Optical Brighteners



Trade Names: Blankophor, Dikaphor, DMS, Intrawite (textile use), Kolocron, Optiblanc, Tinopal, Tuboblanc (textile use mostly), Uvitex.
 

What is an alternative to optical brighteners?

An easy alternative to optical brighteners is to soak clothes in lemon juice and water (the citric acid in lemon works as a bleaching agent) or add a cup of lemon juice to your rinse cycle then hang to dry in the sun. It’s also safe to use on coloured clothes.

Why no optical brightener?

Detergents that use optical brighteners make the fabric stiffer, can be irritating to your skin, are bad for the environment, and do not even make your clothes any cleaner. Your eyes may think your clothes are cleaner, but it’s just an optical illusion.

How did people wash clothes in 1960s?

In many homes washing was still done by hand in a sink using a washboard to rid items of dirt and a mangle to remove excess water. If a family was lucky enough to have a washing machine, it would be top-loading machine filled from the tap with a mangle over the top (similar to the image below).
 



What did people wash clothes before detergent?

Before the invention of modern detergent, civilizations of the past used animal fat or lye to wash clothes. Other times, they used chamber lye – a conspicuous nickname for urine (collected from the chamber pots of the citizenry – hence, ‘chamber’ lye) for washing clothing.
 

How was laundry done in the 1920s?

Washing had to be sorted into white items and coloured ones. Many had been left soaking in cold water overnight to help loosen the dirt. The items had to be separated in this way as many of the dyes used to colour fabrics were not always ‘fast’ and could stain other materials when wet.

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