Soap vs Detergent: Which Is Better?

Soap vs Detergent: what’s the difference? Both will get your clothes clean, but they’re made very differently. We’ll talk you through the main differences between soap and detergent, which is better, and lastly, how to make your own soap at home.

So if you’re looking for a way to make a more natural and eco-friendly cleaner, you’ve come to the right place.

The main difference between soap and detergent is the ingredients. Soaps are made with biodegradable ingredients such as oils, lye and fats. Detergents are made with synthetic chemicals, such as surfactants, optical brighteners and perfumes. Both clean clothes well, but detergents are more effective on stains and with brightening clothes. However, soap is kinder on the environment and skin.

Soap is a combination of fat or oil, water, and finally, an alkali or basic salt. It’s been around since 2800 B.C. and can be used for washing hands, our bodies and of course, laundry.

Soap is made two different ways: either a cold process or a hot process.

The cold process takes a room-temperature lye solution and mixes it with an oil. This thickens and heats up before being poured into a mold where it solidifies into a bar of soap. It’s left to sit for a few weeks to allow excess water to evaporate before being packaged and sold to consumers.

The hot process heats all the ingredients until they’re mixed. This is a quicker way to make soap. When the soap is liquified, it’s poured into a mold. It can be packaged and sold as soon as it’s solid.

How does soap work? It removes germs and dirt. Soap molecules have one end that’s water-loving, and one end that’s oil-loving. So when you wash your hands, the soap molecules bind with both water and oil (which carries dirt and germs on our hands). When you rinse your hands, the soap removes the germs along with the water.

Soap comes in a bar form or a liquid form which is usually dispensed from a bottle with a pump. You can buy it in the store or make your own.

Laundry detergents, unlike soap, contain more synthetic ingredients. The main difference is that detergents contain manmade sulfates, usually derived from petrochemicals, which cleans clothes, hair, hands, and dishes when it comes in contact with water.

But that’s not all. Detergents nowadays contain lots of other chemical ingredients that have lots of benefits. For example, some contain enzymes which are good for stain removal. Some contain bleach which is good for disinfecting. Others contain fragrances to scent your clothes. Other popular ingredients include dyes, fillers, and optical brighteners.

Like soap, detergents work by breaking up and removing grease, grime and dirt. They usually come in liquid, pod or powder form and most households are familiar with using them. In fact, they function very similarly to soap.

The detergent molecules surround grease and grime, break it up into smaller pieces and wash it away with the water. Detergents do this by reducing the surface tension of the water which breaks apart blobs of water on clothes and helps the detergent do a better job.