While it's true that regular laundry detergent is not designed primarily to kill germs, it serves a crucial purpose in the laundry process. The main function of laundry detergent is to remove dirt, stains, oils, and other contaminants from your clothes, leaving them clean and fresh-smelling. Here are the primary reasons for using laundry detergent:
Cleaning: Laundry detergents contain surfactants that break down and lift dirt, oils, and stains from the fabric's surface. These surfactants work to suspend the dirt in the water, allowing it to be rinsed away during the washing process.
Removing odors: Detergents help eliminate unpleasant odors from clothes, leaving them smelling fresh after washing.
Brightening: Some laundry detergents contain optical brighteners that make fabrics appear brighter and more vibrant by absorbing ultraviolet light and re-emitting it as visible light.
Softening: Some detergents have fabric softening agents that can reduce the stiffness of clothes and make them feel softer to the touch.
Stain removal: While not all detergents are equally effective at removing tough stains, many of them do have some stain-fighting properties that can help with minor stains.
Regarding germs and bacteria, while regular laundry detergents may not completely sterilize clothes, they can still reduce the microbial load to some extent. The washing process itself, along with the detergent, helps to remove a significant number of germs and bacteria from the fabric. Additionally, the heat from the washing machine's hot water cycle can also help in reducing microbial activity.
If you need to sanitize or disinfect clothes, such as during illness or when dealing with heavily soiled items, you can use specialized laundry additives or wash them at high temperatures, as indicated on the garment's care label.
Overall, the primary purpose of laundry detergent is to clean and freshen your clothes, and it does an excellent job in achieving that goal. For specific cases where you require germ-killing properties, consider using appropriate laundry additives or alternative cleaning methods, such as high-temperature washes or specific disinfecting agents.