Softergents: softness and cleaning in 2-in-1 detergents

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Softergents: softness and cleaning in 2-in-1 detergents

Wednesday, 21 September, 2022

Do you like that soft feeling and fresh smell when you take your clothes out of the washing machine? Do you like to feel the comfort provided by freshly washed clothes?

All of this is thanks to softeners… but do you know exactly what they are?

In this article, we will explain what softeners are, the drawbacks associated with them and, best of all, we will propose a solution for avoiding them without losing their characteristic softness.

Here we go!

 

What are softeners: advantages and disadvantages

We could roughly define softeners as a treatment that improves the properties of clothing.

Their use enables a much more satisfactory end result to be achieved by adding their most common benefits to the washing process:

  • They add softness to garments.
  • They facilitate subsequent ironing of the fabric.
  • They give the clothing a pleasant aroma.

However, these are not all the advantages that softeners can provide.

They can also contribute to the absorption of odours or reduced drying time, provide protection for fibres, achieve an antistatic effect and even antibacterial activity.

As you can see, softeners have many advantages in order to achieve the end result that is in such demand today.

To achieve the above, we use esterquats as the active ingredient in the formulation.

Esterquats are very effective cationic surfactants for achieving the desired results, but they pose a major problem when creating more effective detergent products that combine cleaning with the benefits of softeners.

 

The major difficulty with softeners

Why can the use of esterquats in detergency pose a problem?

It is because anionic surfactants are a common component of detergents, and these are incompatible with esterquats.

This incompatibility means that softeners and detergents must be separate products, which is less sustainable at both an economic and environmental level:

  • The use of two products instead of one is required.
  • More plastic is used to manufacture packaging.
  • They take up more space, more vehicles are required to transport them and logistical costs and CO2 emissions are increased.
  • A greater quantity of water needs to be used.

But, is it really impossible to combine cleaning and softening properties in a single product?

 

Softergents: the 2-in-1 detergent solution

To solve the problem of esterquat incompatibility, Comindex proposes an alternative: softergents.

Softergents, also known as 2-in-1 detergents, are detergents that clean and soften with a single product.

This union results in both a reduction of water in the formulation as well as the plastic required for packaging. By doing so, we reduce both the environmental and economic impact on the consumer.

 

How are softergents formulated?

Formulating softergents is very simple with the new additive from our represented company BYK: PURABYK-P 5540.

This additive is an unmodified natural bentonite that provides softening properties and facilitates ironing while preventing encrusting between the fibres of fabrics.

The greatest advantage of its use is that these bentonites do not present incompatibilities with the products commonly used in detergents, as they are lamellar silicates with negatively charged surfaces (anionic silicates).



Figure 1: Representative diagram of the use of a softergent with the PURABYK-P 5540 additive


We also highlight the improvement in comfort it brings to clothing. This is due to the hydrophobic character of PURABYK-P 5540, which absorbs sweat and prevents garments from feeling sticky.

Its use is intended for both liquid and powder formulations.

The powder formulation also adds an extra element of sustainability to the environmental advantages of softergents, as the savings in cost and transport emissions are combined with the option of cardboard packaging, which enables a reduction in the use of plastic.

 

Are you ready to make the change to softergents?

If you have been won over by the advantages of softergents but you are not sure about how to take the step towards using them, do not hesitate to contact our commercial advisors. They will always be delighted to help you.

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