Our Mission: We ignite the movement that empowers parents to protect children from harmful chemicals. Donate »
Blog
Tip 63: Detergent vs. Soap
Jennifer Taggart
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
What is the difference between detergent and soap? Believe it or not, they are different.
Both are surface active agents, or surfactants, which basically means that they are good at dislodging grease. But soap is made from fats and lye, or natural products while detergents are synthetic materials.
Detergents are designed not to react with hard water minerals and cause soap scum. If you have soft water, use liquid soap. If you have hard water and need to use a detergent, buy a biodegradable detergent without perfumes.
More comments:
Get Answers
View AllI recently read an article about the toxicity of infant mattresses and cribs. The article stated that the fumes released could be linked to SIDS. What do you recommend?
- What are the dangers of Linseed Oil fumes?
I am concerned about Air Quality inside my house. What can I do to improve my Indoor Air Quality?
Read and Learn
It's the trusted guidebook for the Next Generation of Parenting "...that every single parent needs to read..."
PICK UP A COPY
Now In Paperback!







Posted by miracle 2 soap on 05/04/2009 at 12:54 AM
Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed and informative article. It has given me a lot of inspiration and I look forward to more like this in the future.