Well, it all boils down to the early syntethic detergents and sulfates discovery, since the German Igepon to the first P&G Synthethic detergent Dreft, infact Dreft, when it first came out had a huge success especially in hard water areas, since soap users (everyone at the time) had problems with the soap residues that forms with hard water, synthethic detergents avoided this proiblem and they were a blessing, though simple surfactants like these were and are now "light duty" and not good on many stains and highly soiled, later, new improvements and discoveries were made about surfactans and general additional ingredients, and they came out with Tide.... but these "light duty-mild" surfactans still found apllication in dish washing, wool washing, and even personal care, this since wool as typical of animal fibers in general are easier to wash, and for these fibers are best used neutral to slightly alkaline PH wash solution, not too much.
Today, do exists several types of anioninc surfactans, and as Launderess said these products for wool do contain also non ionic types along.
Dish washing stuff is nothing but mostly anionic surfactans with some nonionic along, with a neutal PH (delicate on hands claims means that), so made out of plain surfactans, they're "synthethic soaps" and they're good for this purpose...basic surfactans....
Shampoos and stuff like are also made basically with the same types of "mild" and neutral to slightly alkaline PH surfactans, with addition of other ingredients and nutirnts.
Detergents for wool are *better* to be used though on some aspects, some as L. said contains OBAs and some builders (alkaline) that though would not genrally give problmes as they'd keep PH on a right/acceptable level anyway, but they also contains "nutrients" and protective agents for the wool and softening agents "balsams" which dish soap misses, if you do not want OBAs and you also want a more neutral PH a similar alternative is using the same shampoo you use for your hair which is just a similar thing, even though meant to be used on "live hairs" and with nutrients meant to be absorbed by our hair bulbs.
If you want to go even more basical:
The one particular surfactant that mostly and basically find application in all these uses mentioned from personal care to the dish soap and wool products, and so fine laundering is Lauryl sulphate....
Orvus paste as Launderess says infact is lauryl sulphate.
This is the plain basical thing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_laureth_sulfate
This is infact the ingredient from which on of the first italian detergent (now disappeared) for wool took the name from.
Lauril was made from the SNIA-BPD company, and as the name suggest, it was made of lauryl sulphate.
[this post was last edited: 8/20/2014-08:30]
