Ok y’all. We’re about to talk some science. And just so ya know, I hate science. Bad. It is not my strength at all. But I’ve done a decent amount of research into this, so I figured I’d share. I’m going to do my best to explain the best I can and be as accurate as I can. (Insert standard disclaimer about not trying to tell you medical advice, please don’t sue me, etc.) There’s a lot of info, but first things first: laundry.
I used to make my own laundry soap, but when Stephen and I got married the homemade soap was no match for my husband's sweaty running clothes. I switched to a store bought detergent and things smelled much better! So what’s the difference between soap and detergent? Soap is biodegradable and detergent isnt. Why is that? Because science. And chemicals. Simplifying and generalizing here, soap works by softening the water so that the germs and dirt and yuck loosens it’s hold on your clothes (or hands, or hair) and the yuck can be rinsed away.
Soaps are great for dirt! My go-to stain stick is a plain ol’ bar of Fels Naptha. Soap has its limitations though. The harder your water is the less effective soap is, since soap is essentially a water softener. Washing hands isn’t too affected by this, but something like laundry sure is. Can you use enough soap in your laundry to overcome the hard water? Absolutely! But it’ll be harsh on your clothes, especially anything with elastic in it (read: everything). And you still won’t solve the problem of “chemical stink” as I call it: body odor, barnyard smell in poopy things, and other gross built up stuff.
Looking into soap vs detergent really started when we were getting ready to have Davis. We’d decided we were going to cloth diaper, which ended up being a great decision for us at the time. Since cloth diapers are pretty much the dirtiest thing you’ll ever wash, I wanted to make sure I did it right to avoid stinky diapers, yeast infections, diaper rash, and even chemical burns that can happen if you don’t properly wash your diapers. Yikes! So what is necessary to get out major stinks like sweat and potty stuff? Enzymes. Soaps don’t normally have enzymes in them. These enzymes work to break down the extra nasty things like sweat, poo, pee, and oils.
So which is better, soap or detergent? Depends on what you’re washing. A little bit of Fels Naptha is probably sufficient for the stray stain or to hand wash some delicates. But if you want something strong enough to handle potty messes and sweaty husbands clothes, find a detergent with enzymes in them. We’re a Tide Original household, but there are more eco-friendly brands like Mrs. Meyers that also have enzymes in them.
Now, what about those fancy new detergents that we’ve seen a lot more of since Covid-19? Those sanitizing laundry detergents? We’re about to get into a pet peeve of mine: the “sanitize everything” trend. Whyyyyy do you need to sanitize your socks? You don’t eat off them. There is no point in sanitizing underwear, you’re just going to fart in them again. There are two exceptions to this: if you’re a medical professional, who knows what gets all over your scrubs? Or if you’ve had sickness in the house, you don’t want that stomach bug lingering on your sheets or shirts. Washing clothes in hot water and drying on high for 45+ minutes kills the germs! So skip the overpriced products that are marketed to exploit our fears, and just do what your grandmama did and wash and dry on hot.
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