August 2020

Detergent boosters are fabric care products that are designed to reinforce specific performance characteristics that are desired in laundering. These fabric care products should be used in the wash along with the recommended amount of detergent. Boosters improve the soil and stain removal, buffering, brightening and water softening performance of detergents. In addition to the detergent, they are used in the wash water to improve the cleaning performance. The prime function of detergent boosters is to condition the water to optimize the cleaning action of detergents. These products are formulated for effective cleaning in hard water and can be used to enhance and improve the cleaning power of detergent. These products should be used as per the recommended amount of detergent for a particular size of wash load.

Form

Detergent boosters come in two forms – Liquid detergent boosters can be used to pretreat stains. These are formulated using optical brighteners and nonionic surfactants to deliver excellent wash performance across a comprehensive range of soil classifications and fabric types. Some common ingredients that are used in detergent boosters, include – surfactants, builders, enzymes, borax, corrosion inhibitors and fluorescent brighteners. These ingredients are integrated in various divergent ratios that depend on the objectives and requirement of the given product. Based on a concentrated, super-potent blend of synthetic detergent complex with neutral pH additives, detergent boosters are formulated to enhance and improve the cleaning power of cleaning agents without the risks of over wetting or browning.

Laundry Cleaning Additives

Along with sodium hypochlorite bleach and soil & stain removers, detergent boosters are laundry cleaning additives. These additives for laundry cleaning do not include laundry conditioners, such as ironing aids and fabric softeners. Detergent boosters and soil & stain removers are more expensive and thus are used less widely than sodium hypochlorite bleach. Detergent boosters and soil & stain removers include different types of products, some of which can be defined and classified in more than one way. Bleach free boosters ensure additional safety for colors.

Properties

• Formulated as powder and liquid concentrates
• Emulsifying with high oil absorption
• Superior in lowering of the surface tension and well dissolving of pigments
• Improves the effectiveness of detergent on whites and colors
• Minimize rust stains
• Reduce hard-water deposits
• Help prevent graying soap residue
• Helps remove mineral soap and detergent deposits, which build up in your laundry
• Can be used as detergent booster in addition with a builder for all materials

Applications
Detergent boosters have found to be very good in lowering the surface tension and are also suitable for well dissolving of pigments. These products dramatically enhance the cleaning performance of detergents without raising the pH level. According to industry experts, savings can be made through the reduction of both labor and chemical used by adding boosters to the cleaning action. These products do not contain any cationic ingredients and are safe for uses on all carpet fibers, softens hard water thereby leaving carpets bright and soft.

Based on multiple enzyme formulation, detergent boosters improve the stain and dirt removal performance and have found to be useful for cleaning stains caused by chocolate, baby food, blood, grass, eggs etc. Boosters deliver excellent performance in removing accumulated stains on bed sheets, curtains and cushion covers. Useful for various household laundry wash applications, detergent boosters work on a big, tough stain formula to help wash clothes in an easy, effective and convenient manner.

Bleaches are compounds that are used to clean, whiten and brighten fabrics and help remove the stubborn stains. Bleaches have proved to be highly effective and useful in converting the soils into colorless, soluble particles, which can be removed and carried away by detergents in the wash water. Bleaches can be used for different cleansing applications, including – laundry, dishwash cleaning and in household cleaning products.

Types of Bleaches

The bleaches can be broadly categorized into two types, that include –

• Chlorine bleach
• Oxygen bleach

A brief description of the two types of bleaches is given below –

Chlorine Bleach

Chlorine bleach comes in liquid as well as powder forms with the powder form being more popular. This type of bleach has found to be safe for all types of fibers excluding spandex, wool, silk, and specialty fibers like mohair, angora, and cashmere. Liquid chlorine bleaches are more popular than powder bleaches due to their properties such as they are less expensive and kill germs too. Most of the liquid bleaches contain approximately 5% active ingredient and you can select the products that provides the best results for your specific needs.

Applications:

Chlorine bleaches can be used on –

• Dish towels
• Bath towels
• Sheets
• Color-fast prints
• Pillowcases
• Tablecloths
• White socks
• T-shirts and undershirts

Chlorine Bleach Usage Instructions For heavy load washing machines, you can use up to 1 cup of liquid chlorine bleach and is the machine is extra large, use 1-1/4 cup of bleach. For front loading machines, you should not use more than 1/2 cup liquid bleach. For hand washing, do not take more than 1 tablespoon of bleach for each gallon of water. Mix the bleach with lots of water before mixing it with detergent wash water or otherwise it can make holes in the fabrics. Rinse clothes properly to remove the bleach, as if it stays in them it may weaken the clothes. Chlorine bleaches may damage or discolor some special fabrics or finishes, so carefully read the labels on clothes and bleach containers before using the bleach. Oxygen Bleach
Oxygen bleaches are light and milder than chlorine bleaches and most are combined with a brightener and water conditioner. Oxygen bleaches come in dry as well as liquid forms and are usually labeled as “safe for all types of fabrics” or “all fabric bleach”. Oxygen bleaches are preventive ones and can be used on a regular basis. These bleaches can be safely used on all types of clothes and fabrics that require bleaching and are safe for all fabrics, finishes and colored fabrics.

Oxygen Bleach Usage Instructions

Oxygen bleaches can be used to with maximum benefit by properly following the given instructions –

• Add oxygen bleach to the wash water
• Use hot water as most oxygen bleaches work best in them
• Carefully follow the directions and instructions given on package
• Rinse the clothes well
• For superior results, use oxygen bleach every time you wash your clothes

Bleach products Buying Tips
While buying bleach products, it is important to know what is your specific need so that you can buy a best product. Carefully read the instructions, whether the bleach is safe for all types of fabrics and finishes or not. Never buy a chlorine bleach for usage on silk, wool, spandex stretch fabrics, blends of these fibers, or fabrics with certain dyes and finishes, as the chlorine bleach may damage them. Oxygen bleaches are usually safe for all kind of fabrics and so it does not require special care and attention. It is important to heck clothes labels and hang-tags to know if they can be safely bleached.

The profitability and growth of a business depends on several factors, including both the position of business relative to its rivals and overall degree of competition in that industry. Generally a business has very little control over the degree of competition in its industry, however it can take strategic issues and actions to position and market itself favorably relative to its competitors and thereby influence its profitability. Businesses, which achieve profits above the industry average, do so by finding a sustainable competitive advantage. This advantage allows such companies to position themselves relative to their competitors in ways, which stress their relative strengths; and this in turn allows them to effectively cope with the different market forces. It is natural to differentiate between two broad strategies to attain competitive benefit and advantage. These two broad strategies are cost leadership, and product differentiation. These strategies represent the different modes and routes to achieve sustainable competitive advantage and the above-average profitability. Regardless of the strategy that a firm has adopted, it also needs to determine whether it will compete for all the buyers in a specific market or focus on just a particular target segment of the market. Successful companies will choose a strategy and target segment, which is based upon their own individual strengths and weaknesses. Cost Leadership Cost leadership is a strategy that firms adopt to attempt to become a low-cost supplier in the industry. Sources of cost leadership may vary but may include factors, such as pursuit of economies of scale, use of proprietary technology, preferential access to raw materials and various other inputs, and awareness of the specific needs and requirements of customers. Firms pursuing cost leadership strategy must seek out the different sources of cost advantage while at the same time formulate a product, which can be comparable and at par with that of rival firms.

Differentiation Strategy

In a differentiation strategy, a business tries to make itself unique in an industry along dimensions, which are conceived as valuable by buyers. The business needs to find attributes, which buyers perceive as important and position itself to fulfill those needs. The attributes along which differentiation can be attained are extremely broad, and include the delivery system used, the product or service itself, the marketing approach adopted, and so forth. To achieve success in a differentiation strategy, a firm must choose attributes to stress that will allow it to be perceived as different from its competitors. Differentiation is typically a more effective and promising strategy for products sold to consumers rather than to companies processing them for later sale. Regardless of whether product differentiation or cost leadership is pursued, a firm should also decide how broadly it should compete over the market. Most of markets contain several segments, which are perceived as distinct customer groups, possessing a common set of special needs or characteristics. In soaps and detergent industry, for example buyer groups can be may be segmented by factors, such as income levels, frequency of purchase, understanding of the product, and so forth. Buyers of industrial goods can be segmented on the basis of factors, such as the size of buyer, willingness to trade price for quality, location, or special product requirements. A firm must determine whether it will seek to cater to all of the market segments or focus upon specific target segments.

In the case, a firm focuses its objective to efficiently cater a single or small number of buyer segments in an industry – in some segments it will require to be a low-cost producer, while in other segments it may compete by providing a differentiated product. Firms, which become very narrowly focused are referred to as following a a “niche strategy.” By virtue of their very nature, small firms must typically focus on only a few segments of industry. The strategies of cost leadership or product differentiation can be suitable to different businesses depending upon the nature of buyers in the targeted segment and the position of competing firms. For example, consider the following set of questions in reference to a particular buyer segment –

• Are other firms presently competing in this segment utilizing the economies of scale? The presence of such firms may make it difficult to maintain and attract new customers.
• Are the products or services available for this segment almost standardized? Purchases of standardized goods and services are usually made on the basis of price alone.
• Can the characteristics of a product or service and its quality be determined by the buyer prior to purchase? Buyers can judge such products according to acceptability, and for a given quality a supplier should also offer the lowest price.
• Are the buyers highly price sensitive and unwilling to pay high price for improved quality? In such cases, nothing matters except price. As a result, only firms that can offer the lowest prices are able to survive.
• Is any post-sale service required for this product or service? Competition in segments in which post-sale service has little or no importance often will turn on price alone.

If these questions are answered affirmatively, then for this particular segment cost leadership is likely to be a prevalent strategy. Segments that display these characteristics provide little scope for offering value to buyers through differentiation attempts. Successful firms will be those that manage to attain minimum cost in catering to this type of target segment. Product differentiation has found to be a more effective and viable strategy in segments where the conditions given in questions – (2.) through (5.) above do not persist. Under these conditions, firms have the opportunity to provide differentiated products or services with characteristics, which are especially sough after by buyers. Businesses successful in product differentiation achieve benefit through their ability to obtain higher prices for their products. Small soap and detergent manufacturers are more likely to be selling consumer goods that make the differentiation strategy an attractive option. As previously discussed the demand for natural soaps is growing rapidly. This indicates that one possible approach for small soap and detergent would be to specialize in catering the narrow soap segment outlined by consumers who purchase natural soap products.

One of the most important things to help your baby stay healthy is to keep its skin clean, and baby soaps play a vital role in this. Especially formulated for the sensitive skin of babies, babies soaps are cruelty-free, and contain no animal fats, toxins, preservatives, or dyes. Gentle, sophisticated and natural, baby soaps are made using quality essential oils, herbs, fragrances, and other natural ingredients that can gently clean the skin of baby without irritating or drying it. Toxic free and good for baby’s skin, these soaps are generally fortified with vitamin E, saponified olive, palm kernel, coconut, and food-grade vegetable oils. Herbal extracts, spices, butters, sweet milk, goat’s milk and buttermilk can also be found in some of the baby soaps that makes a luxurious, rich, thick lather, which is dense and perforating, with character and richness in every soap bar. Good quality baby soap should be –

• Gentle – Baby soap should be gentle, as it would otherwise cause irritation in the baby’s skin during or after bath time.
• Hypoallergenic – Make sure that the soap you use for your baby is hypoallergenic, as you don’t know what your baby is allergic to and they are very susceptible at this young age.
• Non-toxic – Soap meant for babies should be non-toxic, as the young babies are likely to put their hands in mouth while bathing. So it is necessary to make sure that if they swallow some of the soap, they will be safe.
• SLS free – Quality baby soap should be free from Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS), which is a harsh chemical used as a foaming agent in soaps. According to research reports, sodium laurel sulfate can damage the immune system thereby causing the separation of skin layers and the inflammation of skin.

Some of the most common ingredients that are used in the manufacturing of baby soaps are –

Baby Bath
Small babies do not need a bath everyday as too much bathing can result in drying of skin. People can just sponge their baby using a damp soft towel after that pat him dry and change him into clean clothes. If you are bathing your baby in a bathtub with water, make sure that the water is just warm enough for your baby. Apply the soap to a washcloth and not directly to the skin as it makes applying the soap, as you will also need to hold the baby while bathing. Some important things that you need are –

• A good quality baby soap
• Sponge to bath the baby.
• Cotton wool to clean the face of baby

Rest followed by baby bath would be useful, as it will make the baby feel more secured and better supported. During the first several weeks and your babies’ life, its skin may develop some rashes, spots and dots, which is normal. They will come and go on their own, but if you are concerned, then you can contact your pediatrician or doctor. Although the skin of your baby will go through a few rough times, you know that you are caring for your baby’s skin as best possible as you can, by using the right baby skin.

Baby Soap Buying Tips

While buying baby soap, it is important to take into consideration the sensitive skin of small babies. Regular bar soaps can be too harsh for the baby’s skin as they may cause rashes and dryness. Find mild baby soaps, which clean skin without drying it out. It is also beneficial to get fragrance free soaps that work as an extra precaution against rashes on the baby’s skin.

One of the most important things to consider while buying baby soap is check the ingredients listed on different products. Soaps made from only natural ingredients should be preferred, as they are safe and gentle and help protect and soothe the baby’s skin.

The final stage of the detergents and soap manufacturing process is the packaging. In this stage, the finished product is packed for final supply to consumer. During the packaging stage, bar soaps are either wrapped or cartooned in single packs or multipacks. Detergents, including household cleaners, dishwashing cleansers and laundry cleansers are packaged in cartons, bottles, pouches, bags or cans. Packaging is one of most important steps in soaps and detergents manufacturing and hence should be given prime consideration by soap and detergents manufacturers. Some of the important benefits of soap packaging include –

• Enhances the marketability of product
• Improves the appearance and attractiveness of product
• Increases the shelf appeal of product
• Increases the shelf life of product
• Reduces the waste during production
• Makes the product easy and convenient to use
• The product can be packed in different sizes to meet the varying demands of consumers

The selection of products and materials for packaging depends on the consideration of several factors, which include – product compatibility and stability, cost, package safety, solid waste impact, shelf appeal and ease of use. Due to some regulatory measures of governing bodies and authorities, some of the factors that manufacturers consider these days for packaging are –

• Use of packaging material made from recyclable, reusable or bio-degradable material.
• The label on the package is provided with information regarding the soap and detergents ingredients used. The package labels now days are generally accompanied by detailed instructions for proper use to maximize the performance and minimize wastage.

Soap manufacturers use different types of packaging products and solutions to make their products easy and convenient to use and to maximize the performance of product. Some of the soap packaging options that are used by companies in the soap and detergent industry are –

• Small sachets – for offering products in very small quantity for one time use. Generally powder detergents and washing gels are offer in sachets.
• Cartoons – Soaps and detergents are offered in cartoons for bulk supply.
• Poly packs – Soaps and detergents are offered in poly packs of different sizes to meet the varying demands of consumers.
• Plastic bottles – Generally liquid detergents specialty spray cleansers are packaged in plastic bottles to make their usage convenient and effective.
• Tubes – Tubes are most widely used for packaging personal care and cosmetic products.
• Paper wrap – Soap bars are generally wrapped or cartooned in single packs or multi packs for the convenience of users.

A variety of packaging machines is used by the soap and detergent industry for superior and convenient packaging of the products. Some of the most common packaging machines used in soap and detergent industry are –

• Soap wrapping machine
• Soap and detergent filling machine
• Sealing machine
• Cutting machine
• Horizontal form fill-sealing machine
• Saponification section
• Roller machine
• Stamping machine
• Mixer machine
• Rotary sealing machine

Glycerin Soaps are soaps that are rich in glycerin, a component of fat or oil. These soaps are especially good and effective for sensitive and delicate skin, and for children. As the glycerin is a high quality by-product used in the soap making process, several commercial soap manufacturers often extract glycerin and sell it as a by-product at a higher price for products like – lotions and skin creams. Glycerin, which is a natural emollient, absorbs the moisture out of the air thereby benefiting the skin health. It cleanses the skin without upsetting or stripping the delicate natural pH balance, which is vital for a soft and healthy skin. The soaps made out of glycerin rinse cleanly and leave no soapy film behind. Glycerin soaps come in ultra clear, white, goat milk, soy oil, organic oils and olive oil. Good for skin health, today glycerin soaps have become a preferred choice of people the world across. The process of soap making generally involves the rendering of fat or oil, with lye. In the industrial soap making, the glycerin is then usually removed, for uses and applications in expensive skin care products, such as moisturizers and lotions. Home made soaps usually contain glycerin, which helps in the treatment and cure of dry skin problems. Natural soaps comprise glycerine, which was originally part of the fat or oil used to produce the soap. When the soap molecules are split, the free glycerine and soap are found as resultant products. Glycerine is found in all the soaps that are made using the cold process that does not salt out the glycerin by the introduction of a brine solution.

Ingredients

Some of the basic ingredients of glycerin soaps, include – coconut oil, stearine wax, castor oil, caustic soda, propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, water, and sugar. Quality conscious manufacturers generally produce the glycerin soaps from the quality double distilled & deodorized clear coconut oil, thereby forming sparkling clarity and luxurious lather.

Buying Tips

While buying glycerin soap, keep in mind that not all, handmade soaps are the same. Glycerin soaps may also contain artificial ingredients, such as SLS or CP (cold processed soap), HP (heat processed soap), CPOP (cold processed oven processed soap), etc. Pure glycerin soaps are MP (melt and pour soap). So carefully check the ingredient list on the pack.

Glycerin Basics

Glycerin (also spelt as glycerine) is a colorless compound, which is known for its moisturizing characteristics. A good solvent, glycerin dissolves in water and absorbs water from the air that makes it great for your skin. Although glycerin is clear, it offers advantages, like – colors and fragrances can be added in them to develop colorful and beautiful soaps. The prime advantage of using glycerin soap is that it being a humectant, provides moisture to the skin by a fine layer that stays in the soap.

Some personal care applications of glycerin soaps include –

• Used as an emollient, humectant, lubricant, and solvent in personal care products
• Used in toothpaste, mouthwashes, skin care products, shaving cream, hair care products and soaps
• Has found uses in making special quality soaps for people with sensitive, easily irritated skin as it prevents dry skin problems with its moisturizing properties.

Glycerin – Important Facts

• Glycerin (C3H8O3) is a liquid by-product of soapmaking and bio-diesel production
• It is a odorless and colorless liquid C3H5(OH)3 of alcohol class, which is used as a solvent in the manufacturing of alkyd resins and ester gum type inks
• Used in various applications, including – dynamite, cosmetics, liquid soaps, inks, and lubricants
• Glycerin occurs extensively in nature and can be found in the cells of plants, animals and humans
• Also known as glycerol, glycerin is used as a solvent and humectant in many pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food products
• Glycerin is a valuable by-product of soap manufacturing, which is used as an enriching agent in several personal-care products.
• Glycerin is a humectant that means it draws moisture from air to keep hair and skin moist
• Glycerin is also used as an emollient (skin softener), lubricant (skin lubricator, which helps prevents moisture loss), emulsifier (thickener) and diluting agent in cosmetics
• Glycerin prevents product from drying out and maintains the consistency of products