Decisions in the Laundry Place
Choosing and Using Auxiliary Laundry Products
In a survey of 1,500 women living in five major Indiana cities, about one-third indicated they had changed their laundry habits since the sale of phosphate-built detergents was banned in the state. Generally, they had increased the amounts of detergent and auxiliary products used per wash load. At least one-half of the women had increased the pretreatment of laundry.
These increases mean increases in laundry costs. Approximately 44 percent of the 1,500 women surveyed said they were spending as much as 30 percent more money on laundry than they were before the sale of phosphate detergents was banned.
To insure return on the added investment of laundry dollars, knowledgeable selection and use of both detergents (See HE 350, Choosing the “Right” Detergent] and auxiliary products are required. Ineffective use of the laundry products could result in an even greater expense—for frequent replacement of unsightly apparel or household textiles.
The following information describes types of auxiliary products, and provides guidelines and precautions for their effective use.
Pretreatment Products—
help remove oily soil and stains.
Active Ingredients. These products contain non-ionic surfactants (which are especially good at handling oily soils), and solvent systems (consisting of al-
cohols or glycol ethers, or petroleum distillates or chlorinated hydrocarbons). A surfactant (surface active agent) is the major ingredient of any detergent product, including soap.
Recommended Use. The spray-type pretreatment product should be applied to the soiled or stained area before the fabric is laundered. Best results are obtained if the product is applied while the fabric is still dry.
Examples of Products:
■	Spray ‘n Wash
■	Shout
■	Faultless Spray Prewash
■	Amway Prewash Laundry Spray
■	Magic Prewash Laundry Soil and Stain Remover
■	Miracle White Laundry Soil and Stain Remover
Enzyme Presoaks—
break down organic stains, especially those of protein type, so they are more easily removed during laundry. Often effective on aged and unknown stains, the formulation may provide additional cleaning effectiveness and water softening capacity. Ingredients which help to loosen and suspend soils and to brighten fabrics also may be included.
Active Ingredients. The enzymes of the presoak products serve as catalysts which speed the breakdown of organic stains that are not normally removed by detergent alone. A low level of surfactant (the cleaning ingredient of detergents) and a builder
(for water softening or conditioning) are usually included in the formulation.
Recommended Use. Adequate time must be allowed for the enzyme product to be effective. A half-hour soak in warm water is considered sufficient in most cases. However, a prolonged soak of 2 to 3 hours, or even overnight, may be needed for the highly tenacious or “stubborn” soils and stains.
Precautions. Enzyme pre-soaks should not be used to treat fabrics made of protein fibers (silk, wool, mohair, rabbit hair, etc.). Chlorine bleaches and hot water render enzymes ineffective. When prolonged soaking is anticipated, careful sorting of fabrics according to colorfastness is especially important.
Examples of Products:
■	Biz
■	Axion
■	Tri-zyme
Water Conditioners or Softeners—
tie up water hardness ions so they do not interfere with detergent action. They also serve as cleaning boosters. The non-precipitating conditioner effectively removes lime soap deposits from fabrics and washers.
Active Ingredients. The water conditioning/softening compounds are of two types. The active ingredients of the non-precipitating product (which ties up hardness ions in a soluble
Cooperative Extension Service, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907