Good one to launder. Review on Henko Detergent

Necessity is the mother of invention. Germans proved it number of times. Like many other chemicals they developed first synthetic detergent during First World War. They wanted to preserve fats for other usages so developed process to produce detergent by synthetic chemicals. These detergents were known as Nekal. Never seen Nekal but according to literatures these products were good wetting agents however as a detergent was not that good. Now with improved technology LABSA (linear alkylbenzene sulphonate) and suitable builders and additives are widely used for making detergents. In India STPP is widely used however in some countries there is restriction to use non-biodegradable builders.

Henko an Eco-friendly detergent powder and seems to be a special formulation of Henkel of Germany. This is now made in India for Indian market and Henkel Spic markets it. Henko Stain Championis with powerpearls to add value to the product. Powerpearls is nothing but an additive to improve detergency of the product. It’s pretty good especially for all types of cloth. We are using this detergent for our normal use since long, from the day it is available in our town.

Stain removal capability of Henko may not be that good in all cases because soils that spoil our cloths are of different types. Every soil cannot be treated with one type of washing powder or system. No detergent manufacturer will talk about it but it’s a fact. Soil may be visible or invisible or both. Visible soil is classified as soluble and insoluble soil. Soluble soils may be soluble in water, alkali, acid, and surfactant solution or may be in solvents.

Am I making the review difficult to understand? Can’t help it, as a monitor of a surfactant manufacturer I have to do some justice. I will try to explain in simple words.

Insoluble - Substances like Sand, Clay, Talc and Chalk etc are insoluble. Surfactants in detergent solution wet these soils so that they can be suspended in water and can be washed off from the cloth. Henko works well.

Soluble– Soluble soils are very easy to remove by any detergent. Soils like common salt, sugar or its coats can be dissolved and washed away by ordinary water. Soils that are not soluble in water will remain in traces as a thin film or as deposits. Henko wash can remove these mild stains. Insoluble food soil can be removed from a surface by the force of a water jets or suspending it in water with help of detergent solution.

Some Difficult Task even for Henko

Invisible dirt is made of microorganisms, such as bacteria –these are most dangerous one. Henko Stain Champion cannot handle such soils. These microorganisms are dangerous. One has to adopt special treatment. After a Henko wash, in any case for the nappies or linens of that little one, you have to adopt special treatment to kill bacteria. At least a dilute Dettol wash is must. In olden days people used to boil cloths in water and soda ash like powders – many Surgeons still prefer that.

Lubricating Greases and Oils are not soluble in Henko and Henko cannot be the only solution. In some cases it may softened / melted by hot water however stain may remain on the cloth. Henko may help to emulsify oily material that can be suspended in water and may be washed off. Normally in cities dirt or dust contain mists of oily material so this process will help to remove such dirt. So Henko require warm / hot water socking before final wash to remove very stubborn dirt.

Charred or Carbonized oily soil is very difficult to remove – these are those stubborn one on the shirt collar. Very dilute (may be 1%) hot alkali solution is very effective – better do not try at home. After 30 minutes soaking in Henko, go on brushing with warm Henko solution till you are happy. I do not blame Henko if it fails in this case.

Glues- This is a common problem if you have lovely kids in the family. Not a very difficult task. What you have to do is to soak in plain water to remove water-soluble glues, e.g. casein glue. For synthetic adhesives, use solvents such as kerosene, petrol, alcohol, nail polish remover etc. Hey, test before using on synthetic fabrics and colored one. Solvents evaporate easily so hold an absorbent on the other side of the cloth and soak dissolved glue by the absorbent.

Ballpoint Pen Ink Place a blotting paper below the stained part of the cloth and spray some alcohol-based spray on that part. The alcohol in the spray will break or dissolve ink. You have to blot the dissolved ink and repeat the process until the stain is removed. After that give it a Henko wash. All fabric may not withstand this treatment – please test before.

Water Based Inks- Ink of fountain pen may not be that simple to remove. Apply an absorbent like chalk, talcum powder to absorb excess ink if stain is wet. Chalk is very good absorbent and it is easy to remove chalk from the cloth. Alternatively, use blotting paper. Second step is to soak the effected area with concentrate Henko solution. Place blotting paper under the stain to remove the cleaning agent and ink. You may have to repeat this process until the stain is removed. Afterwards launder with a good detergent.

Caution: Above mentioned tricks may be well known to many of you. But for new users, before applying any solvent or chemical it is better to check the effect of such chemicals on the cloth.

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Low cost detergents may contain too much of salt and soda ash which spoils the cloth. Henko will cost you @ Rs.87/- for 500 gm. Not a cheap alternative but in case of normal wash it does not spoil the fabric or colour and quantity required is reasonable. It may not have an effect on your skin.

I am neither an employee nor a supplier of Henkel Spic but a regular user of some of their products. I do not hesitate to recommend Henko for normal use.