Soap Suds


Bunky

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Dr. G,

 

When the subject of suds associated with car soaps get discussed, many claim they have no effect on cleaning ability. Are the suds generated by Optimum, more or less concentrated than the remaining soap mixture.

 

With some soaps, as the soap is used, the soap's cleaning ability drops with the ability to generate suds.

 

Foam guns and cannons seem to rely on suds. Is it the clinging effect that suds provides?

 

So, what is the purpose of soap suds?

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Dr. G,

 

When the subject of suds associated with car soaps get discussed, many claim they have no effect on cleaning ability. Are the suds generated by Optimum, more or less concentrated than the remaining soap mixture.

 

With some soaps, as the soap is used, the soap's cleaning ability drops with the ability to generate suds.

 

Foam guns and cannons seem to rely on suds. Is it the clinging effect that suds provides?

 

So, what is the purpose of soap suds?

 

Thank you for bringing up this question. Foam is a by-product of soaps which are in general a blend of several surfactants (surface active agent). Surfactants have a polar group at one end (hydrophilic) and a non-polar group at the other end (lipophilic). The interaction of these two groups in water will reduce the surface tension of water from 72 dynes/cm (at 25°C) to mid 30s and creates foam by trapping air inside which is a by-product of the system. The suds contain about 95% air and 5% soapy water at about the same concentration as the water solution.

 

During the wash process, as people wash their mitt/towel in the bucket, the soap/surfactants are used up by the process of emulsification and dissolving of oily particles and that reduces the amount of free soap left in the bucket. So if the surface is very oily, you will see a substantial drop in the suds and therefore reducing the cleaning ability of the soap. Foam guns use a much higher concentration of soap than in a bucket and the dirt/oil does not enter the solution. In this case, however, the only cleaning action is on the surface of the paint and on a soiled car, you would still need some mechanical action to remove the dirt. I hope this helps answer your questions. Thanks again.

 

David,

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Thanks. Let me ask the question this way. Does suds have a positive, neutral, or negative aspect to the cleaning process?

 

Obviously there are products (like ONR) that can clean without suds but they use different types of cleaners.

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Thanks. Let me ask the question this way. Does suds have a positive, neutral, or negative aspect to the cleaning process?

 

Obviously there are products (like ONR) that can clean without suds but they use different types of cleaners.

 

Sorry if I was not clear in my response. Suds are a by-product of soap and water mixture and they have no impact on the cleaning process. They are however, a good indicator of the amount of active soap in the solution. So for instance, if one soap produces twice as much suds as another soap at the same dilution ratio, then you can assume it is twice as concentrated. Additionally, if the soap loses its suds while washing a very oily car, then you can tell that the activity of the soap is reduced since most of the surfactants have been consumed in the process of emulsifying oils in water and you might want to add more soap to the bucket or use a fresh bucket.

 

As you mentioned, since No Rinse is polymer-based and not soap-based, therefore it does not generate suds. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. Thank you.

 

David,

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Sorry if I was not clear in my response. Suds are a by-product of soap and water mixture and they have no impact on the cleaning process. They are however, a good indicator of the amount of active soap in the solution. So for instance, if one soap produces twice as much suds as another soap at the same dilution ratio, then you can assume it is twice as concentrated. Additionally, if the soap loses its suds while washing a very oily car, then you can tell that the activity of the soap is reduced since most of the surfactants have been consumed in the process of emulsifying oils in water and you might want to add more soap to the bucket or use a fresh bucket.

 

As you mentioned, since No Rinse is polymer-based and not soap-based, therefore it does not generate suds. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. Thank you.

 

David,

 

Thanks for the clarification.

 

It seems some manufacturers seem to exploit they generate more suds than another soap but I assume that is just chemistry and cannot be compared to soap content or cleaning ability.

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I think you still have it wrong a bit. Generating more suds means higher concentration of soap and therefore more chemical for your dollar. If brand X dilutes 1oz. per gallon and brand Y dilutes .5oz. per gallon and the cost is similar, then brand Y is a better value because it is higher concentrate. This is only true when comparing similar products...ie traditional car wash shampoos. Also, some wash products may be "high suds" but contain too much detergent and can strip waxes and sealants, so you really have to look beyond product descriptions to find a product that does what you need it too.

 

I have used a variety of soaps. Optimum is my favorite so far. It is cost effective at 0.5 oz per gallon and smells great. It can create some very thick suds but I usually add the soap after I fill the bucket to reduce suds. However, I still use other brands since I have them so always trying to understand the differences especially when I read posts from many that make such claims about specific brands. For example, Mothers generates nice suds (more so than some other brands) yet does not get the attention.

 

Let me ask this second question. What determines the lubricity of a soap? I can stick my hand in the bucket and feel some slipperiness but then I can do the same in a bucket of ONR and it does not feel as slipperly..so either I have bad tactile feel or there is some other aspect.

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