Raw materials for the production of laundry detergents

How to choose the best laundry detergent?

Regular washing of clothes, household textiles and bedding is the foundation of hygiene, effectively removing dirt, bacteria and allergens. In sectors such as healthcare, hospitality and industry, maintaining fabric hygiene is essential to meet safety and well-being standards. Industrial laundries play a key role in this process, ensuring effective cleaning and disinfection of textiles on a large scale.

Choosing the right laundry detergent is extremely important. Consumers can choose from capsules, gels and powders.  The effectiveness of each depends on a number of factors, including the type of fabric, water hardness and the type of dirt. When choosing a detergent, it is important to match its form to your needs, as they differ in their properties. However, it is the chemical raw materials used in the production stage that directly determine the effectiveness of the application and the functional properties of the detergent.

Chemical raw materials for the production of laundry detergents

Surfactants play a fundamental role in the production of laundry detergents. These are surface-active compounds with a wide range of applications. Their main task is to reduce the surface tension of water, which facilitates the removal of dirt.

The following are most commonly used in the production of laundry detergents:

Anionic surfactants

They have a negative charge, which helps the surfactant molecules lift and suspend dirt in micelles. They work very well in laundry detergents because they produce large amounts of foam. However, they can sometimes be irritating, so they are often combined with milder surfactants.

• The PCC Group’s portfolio includes a wide range of anionic surfactants for the production of laundry detergents. The EXOsoft series (e.g. EXOsoft PC3, EXOsoft PO30) provides very good emulsification and effective removal of dirt. SULFOROKAnol products (e.g. SULFOROKAnol L170), on the other hand, are characterised by high foaming properties, excellent cleaning performance and resistance to hard water.

Non-ionic surfactants

Non-ionic surfactants are electrically neutral. They emulsify oils very well and remove organic dirt more effectively than anionic surfactants. They are often used together to create multifunctional dual-action cleaning agents that not only lift and suspend molecular contaminants, but also emulsify oily dirt. Some non-ionic surfactants may exhibit low-foaming properties.

• The non-ionic surfactants offered by the PCC Group include a wide range of products from the ROKAnol series, with high surface activity and good wettability. They also exhibit satisfactory stability in the presence of hard water. Particularly noteworthy is ROKAnol LP3841, a low-foaming raw material that effectively removes dirt while protecting the components of automatic washing machines from excess foam. The offer is complemented by the ROKAcet and ROKAmid series. They are characterised by very good detergency properties, even at low concentrations. In addition, they are compatible with other surfactants, both non-ionic and ionic, supporting their action (co-surfactants).

Cationic and amphoteric surfactants

These substances have a positive charge or, in the case of amphoteric surfactants, both positive and negative charges (examples of amphoteric surfactants are betaine derivatives). Cationic surfactants are mainly used in antistatic products, such as fabric softeners, due to their limited foaming and cleaning properties. Amphoteric surfactants, on the other hand, have very good thickening properties.

• In this category, the PCC Group’s offering includes the ROKAmin series (e.g. ROKAmin SRK8, ROKAmin K15K). The key feature of these products is their antistatic effect – they effectively neutralise surface electrical charges. In addition, they have very good softening properties. Products in this series are ideal for use in mixtures with non-ionic and amphoteric formulation components.

Quality and ecology

In the detergent industry, high-quality raw materials for the production of laundry detergents are essential. Consumers and industrial customers expect products to be effective and have satisfactory cleaning power.

The PCC Group has an extensive portfolio of chemical raw materials. It offers high-quality products with proven technical parameters

It places equal emphasis on environmental protection. Most of the raw materials on offer are biodegradable products based on natural vegetable oils. They also meet the criteria of Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 on detergents.