During the main wash of the linen, why do people choose different laundry powders accordingly? Many laundry plants want to simplify their operations and use one general product to complete the laundry. However, the mainstream chemical product suppliers always provide at least three special laundry powders because linen material is diverse, and stains are complex. There is no omnipotent laundry chemical that can treat all fabrics and dirt.
Laundry powder isn’t a simple alkaline mixture. It is complex. (surfactants, builders, bleaches, enzymes, anti-redeposition agents, brighteners…) Different laundry powders achieve different washing functions by adjusting the proportion and type of ingredients.
Laundry Powders
● General Powder
They often have low alkalinity and high foam. It is suitable for washing knitted linen items such as towels, bath towels, and floor mats.
These types of linen have a loose structure and abundant fiber fluff. They easily trap and hold solid particulate soils like dust, skin flakes, and mud. Such soils bond with fibers mainly through physical forces and are difficult to remove by chemical action alone. The continuous scrubbing and vibrating created by high foam effectively lift and suspend particulate soils deep in the fibers, so that they can be rinsed away by water. Also, low alkalinity maintains the elasticity and softness of terry fabrics. It prevents hardening and fiber damage caused by strong alkalis and extends the service life of the linen.
● Heavy-duty powder
It has medium or relatively high chlorine. The core of its stain removal ability is strongly effective chemical components. It treats organically stubborn stains like oil stains, blood stains, and tannin stains (tea, coffee). As a result, it is suitable for bed sheets, quilt covers, table cloths, work uniforms, and other woven linen items.
● High-Power whitening laundry powder
After multiple washes, white linen often turns gray and yellow and loses brightness. This is caused not only by residual stains but also by microscopic fiber damage, deposition of metal ions in water, and reattachment of soil. On the basis of excellent detergency, high-power whitening laundry powder focuses on improved whitening, anti-redeposition, and chelating functions.
Scientific Matching
After knowing the characteristics of all kinds of laundry powder, people can scientifically match them to achieve the best laundry effects according to different types of linen.
● Towel
General laundry powder : High-power whitening powder = 1:1.
General laundry powder thoroughly removes particulate dirt deep in the fluff through the physical effect of high foam, and protects the softness of the towel. Strong whitening laundry powder makes up for the shortcomings of general powder in whitening and preventing dulling. It ensures the cleanliness and a white and fluffy appearance of linen.
● Bed sheets, quilt cover
Heavy-duty laundry powder : High-power whitening powder = 1:1.
The stains on the bedding are mainly human sebum, sweat, blood, and various secretions. They adhere firmly. Heavy-duty laundry powder uses its chemical decontamination benefits to thoroughly break down these stubborn organic stains. Also, the addition of powerful whitening laundry powder defeats the possible problems of graying and yellowing of bedding due to long-term use and washing. While removing dirt, it also brightens the fabric strongly and restores its whiteness and luster.
Systematic Solutions for Complex Stains
Using a basic combination of laundry powder cannot remove the heavily soiled linen or linen with old stains. Therefore, the introduction of auxiliary agents can help achieve better washing results.
● Heavy-Duty synthetic alkali
During the main wash, adding heavy-duty synthetic alkali on the basis of “heavy-duty laundry powder + high-power whitening laundry powder” can perform better in removing oily stains.
● Emulsifier
It is specifically designed for linen contaminated with heavy mineral oil, vegetable oil, or animal oil. It can penetrate, emulsify, and disperse.
● Oxygen Bleach
At an appropriate temperature (usually 60–80°C), it can effectively oxidize and break down pigment, dye, and various organic stains. It can also disinfect. It is gentle on fabric fibers, so it can be a safe bleach for colored and white linen.
Temperature and Program
Only in the right process condition can good chemicals thoroughly act. Temperature and timing of addition are two important controlling points in the laundry process.
● Temperature
Different chemicals have their best temperature zone for acting:
- Protease exhibits the highest activity at 40–60°C
- Oils: above 60°C
- Oxygen bleach: above 70°C
- Chlorine bleach: 65–75°C
● Dosing Timing
The wrong dosing sequence can cause chemicals to neutralize each other or become inactive prematurely. Standard procedure:
cold water intake at 30–40°C → add laundry powder, emulsifier, and similar products at the same time→ ensure full dissolution and initial action on stains → temperature rises → automatically add corresponding bleach or auxiliary agents at specific set points (enzymes at 55°C, oxygen bleach at 75°C).
Modern intelligent laundry equipment, like Kingstar industrial washing machine, CLM tunnel washer system, can do standardized laundry well. Its programmable controlling system allows users to preset the water level, temperature profiles, and the timing of the automatic chemical addition of all chemical dispensers according to different linen types. The equipment will strictly obey the programs and automatically open the chemical boxes to achieve the precise, timed, and quantitative addition of chemicals. This ensures that each chemical acts in the most suitable temperature and process. It improves the washing quality and avoids the chemical waste and decreased washing effects caused by human errors or simplified steps.
Conclusion
Linen washing is a serious and systematic process, including the cooperation of water quality, mechanical forces, temperature, time, chemicals, and process. Using one product is equivalent to giving up the professional control of washing quality, and may cause long-term damage such as substandard cleanliness of the linen, decreased whiteness, accelerated fiber damage, and an increase in customer complaints.
Q&A
Q1: What should I do if polyester fiber linen has a lot of static electricity?
A1: People can add neutral anti-static detergent when washing. Towel-type linen should not be excessively dry during machine drying. They should keep the humidity of 3% to 5%. People can choose the dryer with a dry humidity controller to better grasp the drying degree. Using anti-static spray on bed sheets and quilt covers on the belt of the folder can effectively reduce static electricity.
Q2: Why are there scales on the drying cylinder of the ironer?
A2: The calcium and magnesium ions in water form scales when exposed to heat. The scale is long-term attached to the inner wall of the cylinder. Therefore, laundry shops should choose to use soft water.
Q3: How to remove scale from the drying cylinder?
A: You can use the professional boiler descaling agent. According to the instructions, you can dilute it and use the solution to wipe the drying cylinder surface. Then, rinse repeatedly with water, which helps prevent corrosion of the drying cylinder. Or, after the drying cylinder is completely cool, people can use a special scraper (softer than the drying cylinder metal to avoid scratches) and gently scrape the surface scale. The two methods can also be combined.
Post time: Feb-27-2026