Blog The story of TexCare®
Keeping your favorite clothes through washing
Do you miss any of your favorite clothes?
We love to keep on wearing our favorite things, so we wash them more frequently. At the same time, frequent washing gradually damages them. Can innovative detergents break this vicious cycle by not only cleaning fabrics but maintaining them, too?
It's a hard life for your favorite T-shirt
Stains
A stain is a dirty mark on a fabric comprised of a mixture of fat, protein, starch, and dyes. Usually, these components penetrate deeply, making them difficult to remove.
Greying
It's not enough to remove the stains from the fiber. The dirt floats in the washing water and then evenly penetrates the fabrics. We all know the result: Dazzlingly white t-shirts gradually turn grey.
Damaged fabric
Going round and round causes such mechanical stress for fabrics that the fibers will tear at some point. Then the only thing you can do is keep calm and wait on the next »used look« trend
Shrinking
Why do fabrics shrink in the washing machine? The answer surprisingly is relaxation: New textiles are stretched before selling. When they are washed the hot water, in particular, relaxes the fibers. The result: Skin-tight t-shirts.
»The bigger the family got, the more we looked for sustainable products, especially for our laundry. We buy detergents that can wash more loads per package and that work at lower temperatures..«
How TexCare® forms the detergent you need? We ask an expert from the lab
What kind of stains are most common in your region?
Which tough stains are most common depends a lot on the country you are looking at. European children love to eat chocolate and spaghetti with red sauce. Around the Mediterranean Sea, red pepper and olive oil are very popular and known to be hard to remove. Very tough stains found in all countries are sebum and sweat.»You don’t need to be an expert to see the benefit of TexCare®.«
How do people do their washing in your region?
In my region, almost all of the people use front-loader washing machines for doing their laundry. In my country the washing temperature is usually 40°C. However, lower temperatures are being promoted in order to save energy and money. Both liquid and powder detergents are commonly used in my region, though I personally prefer powder detergents. In some parts of the Middle East and Africa, hand washing also plays a significant role. Soap bars are the common tool for this method of washing.What does this mean for your daily work?
In our laundry lab, we adapt our tests to the different needs of our regional customers. We can modify the water hardness and perform our tests on different fabrics soiled with various standardized stains. To make the results most meaningful for our customers, we are aiming to simulate official test setups.Can you actually prove that a product works?
Soil Release Polymers form a protecting film on the fibers. This can be proven by using special microscopy techniques. For the effect on detergency, we use both visual and photometric assessment of the stains after washing. The physical assessment for sure is more precise. However, in the end we are aiming for an effect that can be seen by the consumer. That’s why it’s important to combine both evaluation methods. Especially the Soil Release effect tested with dirty motor oil is rather impressive and you don’t need to be an expert to see the benefit of TexCare®.What are the benefits to the consumer?
Soil Release Polymers protect the fabrics from greying and therefore consumers benefit from an increased lifetime of their clothes. Protection from stains, as well as soil lifting activity, have a positive effect on the washing result. This increased washing power of laundry detergents with Soil Release Polymers is something the consumers can directly see and enjoy in their everyday life.
Gabi Ohlendorf,
Technical Application Manager,
Business Unit Care Chemicals
Clariant Innovation Center Frankfurt, Germany
TexCare® vs. motor oil
Every stain is different in origin, color and shape. And they also differ in how difficult they are to remove. Motor oil, for example, is a real challenge. How does TexCare® deal with this stain? Or should we ask, how does motor oil deal with TexCare®?
Colorimetric
The higher the color difference, the better the soil was released.
Visual
12 panelists scored the visual appearance of the washed textiles from worst to best.
How TexCare® benefits you
LESS ENERGY
Due to a more powerful soil-release effect, TexCare® enables you to wash your clothes at lower temperatures, resulting in saving both energy and the planet.
LESS WEAR & TEAR
TexCare® forms a protective layer that allows for lower temperatures and gentler washing. This helps your favorite clothes last longer.
PERFORMANCE GUARANTEE
TexCare® allows for more sustainable living with no compromise in performance.
TexCare® 260 fulfills EcoTain® criteria - Our approach to sustainability
EcoTain® is our label for sustainability excellence products and solutions showcasing best-in-class performance. They highlight our contributions to a sustainable future and add value to our customers and society as a whole.
