Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1894 — Why Soap is Cleansing. [ARTICLE]

Why Soap is Cleansing.

Brooklyn Engle. The cleansing properties of soap are owing to the soda and potash which enter into its composition. Dirt requiring to be washed away, whether of the skin or clothing, is owing principally to dust particles and matters of a more or less greasy or fatty nature. If fats or oils are added to pure water it is well known they do not mix or dissolve in that liquid, but if soap is present the fats and oils become readily dissolvable. The effect of soap, which is a combination of the alkalies of soda and potash and fatty acid, is therefore, to unite with the greasy and fatty matters, rendering them soluble in water. The alkalies of soda and potash which are contained in soap are more powerful cleansers when used alone, but in that case their action is too energetic, as they tend to dehence are injurious to the skin and to fabrics. They therefore require to have their energies toned down, as it were, and this is accomplished bv uniting them with fatty acids. When soap is dissolved in water the soda or potash is set free to some extent, and seizes the grease and dirt present, which thus become soluble and are washed away by the water.