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Detergents have long been firmly integrated into our everyday life - today it is already quite problematic to imagine life without them. But it wasn't always like this. The history of the development of detergents is multifaceted and amazing - for more than a thousand years people have been trying to find suitable formulas. How did we get from wood ash to modern surfactant-based products? We tell you in the article.
The world's first soap: ash, water and fat
There are many versions about the origin of the first soap. It is believed that the Sumerians were the first to discover the recipe 5 thousand years ago. Evidence of this was a clay tablet found in Mesopotamia. It describes a soap recipe: wood ash was boiled in water with the addition of fat. However, the products were used in different ways - as medicine and hair paste - but not for their intended purpose.
Ancient Rome also used soap, as evidenced by Pliny the Elder. It was also produced by the Gauls. According to one version, the wild tribes of the Gauls accidentally discovered an amazing pattern: if water got on hair lubricated with oil and ash, it began to foam, and the hair became clean.
The Romans even used urine to wash clothes. Dirty clothes were put in a vat, filled with urine and trampled like grapes. This method, by the way, was also used in Rus'. This is because ammonia contained in urine bleaches clothes well.
The first soap has an ancient history and many versions of its origin. But most often its recipe is described the same way - it is a mixture of water, animal fat and wood ash. When interacting with water, ash forms an alkali. The fat in this simple recipe forms fatty acid salts.
“Unclean”Middle Ages
Residents of medieval Europe could not boast of a clean body - for a long time bathing was considered bad manners, and the church even stood up to defend the “uncleanliness” of the body. It is believed that epidemics played a role in this, which led to the closure of public baths. But soap was still available to the upper strata of society. It was used more often for washing clothes, because it irritated the skin.
However, from the 13th century, soap making began to be taken seriously, largely thanks to the Crusader knights. Then the production of detergents flourishes in France and England. And by 1424, the first bar of solid soap was produced in Italy. It was still made from animal fats and ash with the addition of oils.
After the invention of special equipment, it became possible to produce soap in large quantities. Then Italy becomes the center of production in Europe. Italian soap, by the way, is still considered one of the highest quality.
The first soap factories in Russia appeared in the 15th century. Soap was made from ash and fats, and the process itself was called “potash craft.” Soap production was established by Peter I. Then soap began to be used even in military affairs: it was used to wash cloth and canvas.
From soap to washing powder
A real breakthrough in the production of detergents occurs when soap begins to be studied from a scientific point of view. In 1779, Carl Scheele, a Swedish chemist, obtained glycerin by saponifying fats with lead oxide. Later, the Frenchman Nicholas Lebman derived soda from table salt. Then they stop using ash in soap production.
In the 30s of the 19th century, they were actively trying to obtain synthetic detergents. And in the end it succeeds. An important discovery is made by the Belgian chemist Albert Reichler; he notes the cleaning properties of surfactants, which make it possible to produce detergents cheaper.
The first washing powders are also being developed. First based on sodium silicate, and then sodium perborate became the basis of production. The first synthetic powder was developed in 1916 and used in industry. A product suitable for home use appears after 20 years - it is produced on the basis of surfactants.
Production begins in the Soviet Union. In the middle of the last century, the Kazan Chemical Plant began producing powder for Soviet housewives, also based on surfactants.
What's next?
Over time, more and more products appear: laundry and dishwashing gels, bleaches and grease removers. But the requirements for their composition are rapidly changing.
Today, surfactants are no longer exciting. The need to reduce production costs is being replaced by another: concern for the environment, hypoallergenicity and, of course, quality. As modern scientists have found out, phosphates cause river pollution, and aggressive surfactants can lead to allergies and dermatitis.
But you won’t have to go back to using ash and soda for fear of harmful surfactants. It is enough to choose products that cope with cleansing and have a hypoallergenic composition. YokoSun products – dishwashing gels and washing gels, bleaches and cleaning sprays - do not contain chlorine, phosphates and aggressive surfactants.
The path from the Sumerian recipe to modern hypoallergenic gels is a story of incredible progress. And today we stand on the threshold of a new era - conscious production and consumption, where cleanliness in the house should not be achieved at the cost of the health and cleanliness of the planet.