Dreft
Encyclopedia
Dreft is a popular laundry detergent
in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and other markets. First produced by Procter & Gamble
in 1933, it was one of the earliest synthetic
detergents. Upon its inception, Dreft was touted as a significant improvement over the soap suds of the day, but it proved best at treating only lightly soiled clothes and not heavy loads. As Dreft does not leave a lime scum deposit nor does it contain harsh chemicals such as bleach, it is suitable for fine washables such as silk or wool as well as flame resistant fabrics. The Fairy brand of washing-up liquid is also sold under the name Dreft in some countries.
s opened the way for the production of the related organosulfate
derivatives. In Germany, BASF started selling FeWA followed by Dreft being marketed in the following year.
Laundry detergent
Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a substance that is a type of detergent that is added for cleaning laundry. In common usage, "detergent" refers to mixtures of chemical compounds including alkylbenzenesulfonates, which are similar to soap but are less affected by "hard water." In most...
in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and other markets. First produced by Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
in 1933, it was one of the earliest synthetic
Chemical synthesis
In chemistry, chemical synthesis is purposeful execution of chemical reactions to get a product, or several products. This happens by physical and chemical manipulations usually involving one or more reactions...
detergents. Upon its inception, Dreft was touted as a significant improvement over the soap suds of the day, but it proved best at treating only lightly soiled clothes and not heavy loads. As Dreft does not leave a lime scum deposit nor does it contain harsh chemicals such as bleach, it is suitable for fine washables such as silk or wool as well as flame resistant fabrics. The Fairy brand of washing-up liquid is also sold under the name Dreft in some countries.
Technology
Synthetic detergents represented a major improvement in laundry washing because these synthetic materials are less susceptible to hard water. The commercial availability of fatty alcoholFatty alcohol
Fatty alcohols are aliphatic alcohols consisting of a chain of 8 to 22 carbon atoms. Fatty alcohols usually have even number of carbon atoms and a single alcohol group attached to the terminal carbon. Some are unsaturated and some are branched...
s opened the way for the production of the related organosulfate
Organosulfate
Organosulfates are a class of organic compounds sharing a common functional group commonly with the structure R-O-SO3-. The SO4 core is a sulfate group and the R group is any organic residue. All organosulfates are formally esters derived from alcohols and sulfuric acid, although many are not...
derivatives. In Germany, BASF started selling FeWA followed by Dreft being marketed in the following year.