Soap For Wash Day Lives On

[launderess]

Have often states commercial/industrial laundries have not totally abandoned soap, this contrary to the common and accepted narrative.

Just one example, pipe:

http://en.kreussler-chemie.com/prod...roduct&cHash=ac1f7a0f3dc6638dcda8ec95abce3207

 

[tomturbomatic]

Yes, but I am reminded of the admonition in the owner's manual for the Maytag AMP stating that this new automatic washer was designed for use with synthetic detergents and that soap should not be used in it.

 

[launderess]

Well yes, can see how washing machines sold for

Domestic use both then and now would warn people off using soap. But as one has frequently and always said; commercial laundries are another matter. Their access to machines and knowledge often out strips the average housewife or whoever.

Product in OP seems to be an additive rather than meant to be used alone on wash day. It also clearly states the requirement of "soft water".

Use with a detergent and or various boosters (commercial laundries have access to a much wider range of chemicals than domestic, perhaps in some cases even phosphates), would over come much of the downsides from using soap on its own.

Product seems to be pitched as some sort of emulsifier for which soap is very good at doing. Again as one has often pointed out many domestic laundry detergents (powder, liquid, gels, etc..) contain soap in some amount. This seems especially true for liquids.

 

[tomturbomatic]

You are right. The use of chemicals to break the water and the high temperatures used for at least preliminary after rinses would not have led to soap film buildup on machine parts or laundry. They had such an alkaline thing going in the washers that they had to neutralize it with sour at the end. If Maytag users had used STPP in the wash and then stood around to add it to the first rinse, then reset the machine for another rinse, soap might have given good results but, not only is that not automatic laundering,  they also did not have the training of commercial laundry personnel or the mandatory dosing formulas that caused those big machines to stop and buzz loudly when the addition of specified chemicals was called for. Later, that would be automated, but it is easy to understand why Maytag made that pronouncement about not using soap; the rinsing was barely adequate, some would say inadequate, for detergent.

 

[launderess]

Housewives did have access to STPP/Phosphates

Calgon, Rain Drops, White King, Amway and others all sold non-precipitating water softening products that were heavy in STPP and or blends of that with SHTP. My vintage boxes of Calon an Amway give directions for use when laundering with soap or detergent. It wasn't until some darn fools began the hate on phosphates that things went down hill...

For washing with soap IMHO top loading machines should be solid tubs. Otherwise eventually you are going to get all sorts of gunk built up between the tubs. Then there is the issue of neutral draining. IMHO that process simply uses one's wash to strain laundry including soap scum. Washers that used overfill rinsing obviously sent all that much and residue up and over the tub. This likely mimicked some of the benefits of using a wringer or separate extractor. That is by lifting wash out of soapy water one leaves much of the muck behind.