Foaming and Cleaning Performance Comparison of Liquid Detergent Formulations using Mixtures of Anionic and Nonionic Surfactants

Abstract Modern detergents are typically appreciated for their cleaning performance rather than foaming characteristics. The aim of the current study was to compare the foaming and cleaning abilities of liquid detergents, built from a combination of surfactants, to be applied for household laundry purpose. A total of eighteen different liquid detergent formulations containing mixtures of important anionic, nonionic surfactants, and other additives were prepared. The first set of nine new detergent formulations (S1) was prepared using the surfactants sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), Tween-20 and Tween-80. Another set of nine new detergent formulations (S2) was prepared using surfactants SLS, Triton X-100 and alkyl polyglucoside (APG). The impact of water quality (RO, hypersaline or hard water) on the foam properties of the detergent formulation sets (S1 and S2) was systematically examined. The second set of detergent formulations (S2) showed a better performance in terms of foamability and foam stability, regardless of the water quality. Also, the surface tension of the detergent formulation set S2 was found to be lower and it showed a higher detergency for both cotton and woolen fabrics. The detergency of the formulation no S2.9 (in set S2) was the maximum amongst all the detergent formulations. The surface morphology of the cotton and woolen fabrics, washed with liquid detergent formulation no S2.9, displayed the removal of oily soil and grease from the surface of the fabrics, without affecting the quality of the fabrics.