Laundry detergent is a universal household product, used all over the world to keep clothes clean and fresh.
While it's hard to imagine life without this essential cleaning agent, there was a time when washing clothes was even more of a 'chore' than it is today.
Ancient Laundry Methods
Before the invention of laundry detergent, people had no choice but to get really creative with different methods of cleaning their clothes. In ancient times, clothes were often beaten against rocks in streams or pounded with sticks to remove dirt and stains. Other methods included rubbing clothes with ashes or sand.
The earliest soap forms came from ancient Babylon, around 2800 BC. Babylonians mixed fats with wood ash and water to create the very first cleaning mixture. Later, the ancient Egyptians developed a soap-like substance made from animal fats and vegetable oils, which they used for washing both clothes and their bodies.
The Birth of Laundry Detergent
In 1916, a German chemist, Fritz Gunther, invented the first synthetic detergent. His creation was called "Supersoft," and it was made from a combination of alkylbenzene sulfonates and tetrapropylene. The product was marketed as a safer and more effective alternative to soap, but it didn't catch on immediately due to the high cost of production.
The Rise of Modern Detergents
It wasn't until after World War II that synthetic detergents became widely used. In the United States, the first commercial detergent was introduced in 1946 by Procter & Gamble. The product was called "Tide," and it was formulated with a combination of surfactants, builders, and enzymes to provide superior cleaning power.
In the 1960s, phosphates were added to detergents to boost their cleaning power. Over the years, laundry detergent has continued to slowly evolve and improve though perhaps not fast enough..
Phosphates and other synthetic chemicals have been found to contribute to environmental problems, such as algal blooms in waterways. While technology has advanced significantly in so many other areas of our lives, laundry detergents are still scarily similar to what they were in the 1940s.
A Shift Towards Cleaner Clothes and a Cleaner Planet
Here at Plenished we believe its time to rethink the way we do laundry and begin to make the shift away from the synthetic chemicals that get stuck in our clothes and in our washing machines.
We are committed to natural and effective cleaning performance that is safe for use on a wide range of fabrics, provides more longevity for your machine and doesn't compromise on the health of our planet.
Just like our gadgets and devices, we expect nothing less than for laundry detergents to continue evolving and improving so that we can provide even more effective and eco-friendly cleaning solutions for generations to come. This is our mission at Plenished.
