How many laundry powders are there in the world? What clothes are they suitable for? Common laundry powders on the market can be classified according to ingredients, functions, and applicable scenarios.
Classifications
- All-purpose laundry powders
This is the most common one. It is alkaline or weakly alkaline, with a 1% solution pH of 10.5–11. It is suitable for daily fabrics such as cotton, linen, and synthetic fibers. It is cost-effective and has balanced cleaning power.
- Brightening laundry powder
It has optical brighteners or peroxide oxidizers, which can effectively remove pigmented stains and improve whiteness and brightness. It is suitable for white and light-colored clothes, as well as printed, striped, and checked items. However, it is not suitable for dark fabrics. It is suggested to use warm water for washing to get a better result.
- Enzyme-Added laundry powder
It has alkaline protease, so it has a strong stain removal ability when facing protein-based stains like sweat, blood, milk, food, and so on. It is especially suitable for underwear, bed sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases. In warm water at 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, the enzyme has its strongest activity. In cold water, its effect will obviously decrease.
- Phosphate-Free laundry powder
Ordinary laundry powders often have phosphate builders, and their wastewater easily causes eutrophication in water bodies. Phosphate-free powder is eco-friendly and non-polluting. It is strongly promoted by authorities and has become the mainstream product. Phosphated detergents are already banned in many Chinese cities.
- Heavy-Duty laundry powder
It is highly alkaline. It 1% solution pH is much higher than that of the regular powder.
It is designed for heavily oil-stained fabrics such as restaurant tablecloths, napkins, and chef uniforms. It is mainly supplied to laundry shops and laundry plants, not sold retail.
– Tips
It is not suitable for hand washing. It cannot be used on wool, silk, or dark clothes. The washing temperatures should be higher.
- Chlorine bleach laundry powder
It has chlorine bleaching agents, which have strong stain, soil, and yellowing removal ability.
– Tips
It is suitable for white or very light-colored clothes, and it can especially remove pigmented stains on summer clothes.
It cannot be used on dark fabrics, wool, or silk.
It cannot be sprinkled directly onto clothes.
Generally, hot water should be avoided.
- Oxygen bleach laundry powder
It has a high proportion of peroxide oxidizers and needs higher washing temperatures. – Tips
It is suitable for colored fabrics with heavy oil contamination and can remove some natural pigment stains without damaging the original color.
The heat resistance of fabrics should be checked before use.
It cannot be used for silk or wool.
- Dark fabric laundry powder
It is also known as blue-black powder, which means it is specially designed for black, dark blue, and other dark clothes. Regular powder often causes fading, graying, or a white film on dark fabrics. Dark fabric powder protects color and prevents whitening. Relatively few products are available on the market.
- Neutral laundry powders
The pH value of neutral laundry detergent with a concentration of 1% is lower than 8 and is neutral. It is gentle and does not damage fabrics. It is suitable for delicate materials such as wool and silk, and has little irritation to the skin. Some professional neutral detergents can also be used for mild color stripping and color transfer correction.
– Disadvantage
Its prices are relatively high.
There are fewer solid powder products available on the market (most are neutral liquid detergents).
Best Laundry Powder Dosage
Does more laundry powder mean cleaner clothes? No.
Laundry powder mainly has surfactants and alkaline builders that lift soil from fabrics. Excessive surfactants can make dirt redeposit onto clothes. This causes poorer cleaning and incomplete rinsing.
Recommended Washing Solutions
For heavily soiled clothes, the two-bath washing method is recommended.
- Steps
– First bath: Use a proper amount of powder to remove loose soil.
– Drain water, add clean water, then use a small amount of powder for the second wash.
Cleanliness improves greatly without overusing detergent. If there are still serious stains, it can be washed three times. It works far better than a single large dose.
- Kingstar wet cleaning machine
Such programs can be programmed into the Kingstar wet cleaning machines.
– First step: pre-wash to remove water-soluble stains.
– Then: set main wash time and temperature according to the powder type.
In addition to liquid chemicals, the Kingstar wet cleaning machine also supports powder detergents. There are two powder dispenser boxes on top. They use a siphon feeding system to deliver all powder into the drum for a full cleaning effect.
Precautions for Using Laundry Powder
- Choose the right powder based on fabric and color
Neutral one is for wool/silk, color-protecting one is for dark clothes, and brightening/bleaching one is for white clothes.
- The laundry powder should be fully dissolved before clothes are put into the solution. This avoids fiber damage and color damage caused by high local concentration.
- It cannot be used together with fabric softener in the same bath. Before using the softener, staff should rinse off the powder residue. This can be set automatically in the Kingstar industrial washing machines to avoid human error.
- Most clothes don’t need to be soaked in the solutions with laundry powder. Soaking in high-temperature water easily causes color fading, stiffness, and damage.
● Clothes should be rinsed as quickly as possible to reduce the time the detergent stays.
Conclusion
Laundry shops should completely learn the functions of all kinds of laundry powder, fabrics, and the use conditions to better do tasks of washing and stain removal and improve washing quality. Also, Kingstar intelligent laundry equipment can further improve the working efficiency of the laundry shops.
Q&A
Q1: What are the differences between liquid detergent and laundry powder?
A1: Laundry powder is traditional. Its production is simple, and its costs are low. But it has limited varieties, slow dissolution, and relatively high alkalinity. The inorganic salt content in its wastewater is high, so the degradation pressure is greater.
Liquid detergent dissolves quickly, rinses easily, and is convenient to use. It can be formulated as neutral, color-protecting, antibacterial, scented, and other functions.
Q2: Does laundry powder clean better than liquid detergent?
A2: Cleaning performance is similar. It mainly depends on the active ingredient content.
Q3: Can laundry powder be used in the Kingstar wet cleaning machine?
A3: Yes. There are powder dispenser boxes on top of the Kingstar wet cleaning machine. After setting up the program, the machine will automatically add laundry powder. There is no need to add laundry powder to the inner drum before washing.
