Persil, introduced by the German company Henkel in 1907 was the world's first laundry powder. The name derives from perborate and silicate, two key components in the product. Persil was introduced as an improvement over the action of soap, the traditional cleaning agent first formulated around 1500 BC.
The earliest soap forms came from ancient Babylon, around 2800 BC. Babylonians mixed fats with wood ash and water to create the very first cleaning mixture. Later, the ancient Egyptians developed a soap-like substance made from animal fats and vegetable oils, which they used for washing both clothes and their bodies.
Wisk was introduced as the first liquid laundry detergent in the United States by Lever Brothers Company in 1956.
Proto-soaps in the Ancient world
A formula for making a soap-like substance was written on a Sumerian clay tablet around 2500 BC. This was produced by heating a mixture of oil and wood ash, the earliest recorded chemical reaction, and used for washing woolen clothing.
Before the arrival of modern detergents, ancient civilizations utilized animal fat or lye for washing clothes. In certain instances, they also made use of chamber lye, a more informal term referring to urine. It wasn't until 1914 in Germany that Otto Rohm created the concept of adding enzymes to washing detergents.
The soap was handmade using tallow, lye, and water. Lye is made from wood ashes usually gathered from the fireplace and put in a wooden hopper. They typically needed about one wooden barrel of ashes to make the lye. The pioneers poured about 4 liters of water over the ashes to soak them.
Plants; animal bile; oils; and exfoliants, like sand and wood ash, were all staple ingredients of these early cleansers. Related: How does soap kill germs?
It's nearly impossible to trace the origin of Aleppo soap because it predates documented history. It is with no doubt one of the oldest soap ever known.
In June 2016, Henkel acquired Sun Products, the manufacturer of Wisk, and soon discontinued Wisk and replaced it with Persil.
The first synthetic detergents for general use, however, were produced by the Germans in the World War I period so that available fats could be utilized for other purposes.
James King invented the first mechanical washing machine in 1851. He created a drum-based device that used water pressure to agitate clothes and remove dirt. Hamilton Smith patented the rotary version of this design in 1858, which soon became more popular than its predecessor.
“People are wearing more dark clothes,” Mueller-Kirschbaum says, “not the typical white shirt or blouse of 20 years ago.” And while powders are good for whitening and removing dirt, liquids, he says, are better at tackling the “stains we always have with us—the bodily oils we cannot avoid.”
Before the washing machine's invention, cleaning the family's laundry demanded hot water, strong soap and washboards, paddles or plungers. It was backbreaking labor, mostly performed by women, and made only slightly easier by wooden tub washing machines invented in the 19th century.
Persil, introduced by the German company Henkel in 1907 was the world's first laundry powder. The name derives from perborate and silicate, two key components in the product. Persil was introduced as an improvement over the action of soap, the traditional cleaning agent first formulated around 1500 BC.
EPA has classified 1,4-dioxane as a Group B2, probable human carcinogen.” 1,4-dioxane is commonly found in Tide and many other major brands of laundry detergent. This is true whether or not you see it listed as an ingredient.
Tide is an American brand of laundry detergent manufactured and marketed by Procter & Gamble. Introduced in 1946, it is the highest-selling detergent brand in the world, with an estimated 14.3 percent of the global market. U.S.
The longest-running drama in television and radio history, Guiding Light, barely reached 2.1 million daily viewers in 2009 and ended on September 18 of that year, after a 72-year run (including radio).
Let's go right back to the origins of the Dove Beauty Bar. When it launched in 1957, our one-of-a-kind formula was the first to effectively wash away dirt and germs like a soap and lock in moisture like a lotion. How?
Berrenger's. Berrenger's is an American prime-time soap opera television series created by Diana Gould that aired on NBC from January 5 to March 9, 1985. The series revolved around the Berrenger family, a New York dynasty which owned the glamorous department store which bore their name.
Yucca has many practical purposes – Native people and Euro-American pioneers made an effective soap from the roots, thus it was often referred to as “soap weed.” Medicinally, the root was used to treat upset stomachs, arthritis, and inflammation (and still is today).
Before the availability of mass produced toilet paper in the mid-1800s, humans had to resort to using what was free and available, even if it didn't provide the most effective (or comfortable) results. Options included rocks, leaves, grass, moss, animal fur, corn cobs, coconut husks, sticks, sand, and sea shells.
Bathing was not as common as it is today and was often reserved for special occasions. People would usually wash their hands and face regularly, but full-body bathing was not a daily occurrence. Instead, people would take a weekly bath in a communal bathhouse or wash in a nearby river.