Corrosion Inhibitors

Corrosion Inhibitors

Other ingredients include corrosion inhibitors to protect the machinery that does the washing; suspension agents that help keep the grease, dirt and grime that are in suspension from redepositing on the fabrics; enzymes that help containing bleaches to help remove stains. All of these help the surfactant do its job of producing a clean wash.

Other Ingredients

Some of the remaining ingredients may add more to the appearance of a clean wash than to its reality. Optical whiteners, or brighteners, are organic compounds that are deposited on fabrics and that translate the invisible ultraviolet component of sunlight into an almost impreceptible blue tint. The effect of this blue tint, is to add a bit of brilliance to white fabrics and give them the appearance of extra cleanliness.

Brighteners are very interesting compounds. Many of them contain optical brighteners, which are colourless dyes. They absorb radiation which comes from sunlight and is invisible to us. Then these dyes re-emit this radiation to us as visible light. The re-emitted light is at the blue end of the spectrum, so the clothes take on a bluish tint, which masks any yellowing and make the fabric look brighter. Blancophores are the chemical names of these compounds. The safety of these chemicals is not yet known with certainty. They don't appear to harm human beings, but they have caused minor mutations in microorganisms. However, they are known to cause skin rashes on some people.

Finally, added perfumes and fragrances produce what many regard as a pleasant odour in the finished wash.