The History of Laundry Detergent
by Marissa Zumbo, November 2022
Laundry detergent (or soap, if you’re from before 1900) is so common nowadays that you’d have to be living under a very dirty rock to not be familiar with it. However, the detergent we use to wash clothes today would be unrecognizable to our ancestors. Let’s take a little journey through time to learn more about the invention of modern laundry detergent.
Also, for any that don’t know, BCE means “before common era” and CE means “common era.” NOW, let’s get into it:
2800 BCE: Baths and washing clothes still existed thousands of years ago! The earliest recorded evidence of the production of soap-like materials dates back to around 2800 BCE in ancient Babylon. In those times, soap came from rendered animal fat and ashes. Spoiler alert, that doesn’t change for a while…
2200 BCE: Babylon wasn’t the only ancient civilization we have recorded soap history of. Ancient Egyptians also got sudsy. And a Sumerian tablet, dating back to 2200 BCE mentions a soap formula using water, alkali (a soluble salt obtained from the ashes of plants and consisting largely of potassium or sodium carbonate), and cassia oil (derived from the Cassia tree, it has similar properties to cinnamon).
312 BCE: Baths, and being clean, were all the rage in Rome. Heavenly Roman baths were widely built around 312 BCE. Romans, Greeks, and Jews all believed the body was a gift from the Gods and should be appreciated as such. This body cleanliness enthusiasm increased soap production.
467 CE: But then, everything changed. The fall of the Roman Empire in 467 CE (CE is also known as AD) resulted in the end of bathing and soap popularity in Europe. Thus began the Dark Ages.
467 CE - 1450 CE: In the Dark Ages (and extending into what is known as the Middle Ages), bathing was considered an instrument of the devil. That’s right! For some reason, getting clean was a heathen thing? Some historians speculate the resulting unsanitary conditions contributed to the spread of various plagues and diseases. Many non-European cultures retained their bathing traditions (good on them), but it would be several centuries until bathing would come back into style in Europe.
1600s CE: The Early Modern Period saw greater understanding of diseases and illnesses, and by the end of the 17th century, widespread public hygiene and cleanliness returned to Europe. This spurred further creation of new cleaning products.
1791 CE: Then along comes a French chemist, Nicholas Leblanc, who patented a process for making soda ash from common salt. This procedure, known as the Leblanc process, yielded quantities of good quality, inexpensive soda ash. Soda ash can then be combined with fat to form soap.
1800s CE: Hello, Industrial Revolution! In the 19th century, the first versions of the modern washing machine made an appearance. The machines consisted of a tub base, rods, and a handle that turned the rods. Other versions also involved a rotating drum. These designs had the goal of “agitating” the dirt off of items. Soap made from ashes and animal fat was still used with these machines.
1916 CE: The chemistry of soap manufacturing stayed practically the same until 1916. And what happened then? The Great War! During World War I (and again in World War II) there was a shortage of animal and vegetable fats and oils that were used in making soap. Chemists had to use other raw materials instead, which were “synthesized” into chemicals. These are what are known today as “detergents.”
1950 - Present Day: In the 50s, Liquid and powder laundry detergents, as well as bleaches and fabric softeners, became popular purchases. In the 60s, stain removers and pre-treatments were also released. Jump forward to the 1990s and 2000s, and biodegradable cleaners, conditioners, green-friendly products, and color-safe bleach became popular items on the laundry detergent aisle. In the past 15 years, Laundry pods and sheets have also been made available.
Throughout history, many civilizations used chamber lye – a nickname for urine (collected from the chamber pots of the people) for washing clothing. Gross, but very utilitarian.
Fun Fact!
Well, there’s a brief history of laundry detergent. From using animal fat or urine to beat dirt out of laundry, to creating laundry pods that some idiots try to eat. It’s truly been a wild ride.
SIGN UP FOR BLOG POSTS TO BE DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR EMAIL!
Sources Cited for Article:
https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/understanding-products/why-clean/soaps-detergents-history#:~:text=During%20World%20War%20I%20and,known%20today%20as%20%E2%80%9Cdetergents.%E2%80%9D
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laundry_detergent
https://cleaning.lovetoknow.com/Laundry_Detergent_History
https://lydianaturals.com/blankets-for-babies/
https://grampyssoapbusiness.com/brief-history-lye/#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20lye%20is,a%20chemist%20named%20Nicholas%20LeBlanc.