Cleaning Effect of Household Laundry Detergents at Low Temperatures

Lowering the washing temperature of laundry has environmental benefits, but consumers are reluctant to decrease the temperature in fear of not getting clean textiles. The objective of this study was to test eight leading laundry detergents for low temperature washing at 30°C and at 40°C. The cleaning effect was tested by measuring the reflection values of pre-soiled swatches after wash based on standard EN 60456. The results show that the difference in reflection value was on average only 1.9% higher at 40°C than at 30°C, indicating very small difference in cleaning effect. Most differences between temperatures could be seen in liquid detergents for white textiles, and least in powder detergents for coloured textiles. This confirms that modern detergents are suitable for wash at 30°C, and the soil removal will in most cases be satisfactory for household use instead of the more common wash at 40°C.