Difference between soap and detergent

Posted By: Sm Adminon: December 22, 2015In: Miscellaneous

Soap:
It is a substance used with water for washing and cleaning which is made of a compound of natural oils or fats with sodium hydroxide or another strong alkali with the addition of perfume and colour. Soaps are water soluble sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids. Its effectiveness is reduced when used in hard water. Soap molecules are not very versatile. The types of soap are: Kitchen soaps, Laundry soaps, Cleaning soaps, Personal soaps, Novelty soaps, Perfumed soaps, Guest soaps, Beauty soaps, Medicated soaps, Glycerin soaps, Transparent soaps and Liquid soaps. It does not pollute water and rivers.
Detergent:
It is the water soluble cleansing agent which combines with impurities and dirt to make them more soluble and different from soap. The types of detergents are: Anionic, Cationic, Non-ionic and Zwitterionic. It works better in hard water as well. Some detergents are too harsh for skin while others are used to create mild liquid facial cleansers. Detergents work better for laundry. It pollutes water and rivers. Like soaps, they can be solid and liquid. It affects the human body. It not pollutes the environment.
Differences:

Basis	Soap	Detergent
Definition (www.oxforddictionaries.com)	A substance used with water for washing and cleaning, made of a compound of natural oils or fats with sodium hydroxide or another strong alkali, and typically having perfume and colouring added	A water-soluble cleansing agent which combines with impurities and dirt to make them more soluble, and differs from soap in not forming a scum with the salts in hard water
Synonyms	Scoop, cleanser, grease, goop, cream, amole	Sterilizing, cleansing, cleanser, lotion, cathartic, purifier
Antonyms	Oil	Adulterant, aduterating
Word origin	The word soap was originated from Old English sāpe, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch zeep and German Seife. The verb dates from the mid 16th century.	The word detergent was originated in Early 17th century (as an adjective): from Latin detergent- ‘wiping away’, from the verb detergere, from de- ‘away from’ + tergere ‘to wipe’.
Cleans	They clean better in hot water.	They clean both in hot and cold water.
Suitable	They are not suitable for delicate clothes.	They are suitable for delicate clothes.
Pollutes	It does not pollute the environment.	It pollutes the environment.
Affects	It does not affect the human body.	It affects the human body.
Water requirement	Lot of water is required to clean the soap from the cloth.	It is removed very easily so less quantity of water is needed.
Pronunciation	Eng (UK): /səʊp/ Eng (US): /sōp/	Eng (UK): /dɪˈtəːdʒ(ə)nt/ Eng (US): /dəˈtərjənt/
Main function		Detergents are surfactants, meaning that they lower the surface tension of liquids. This helps them clean materials and remove stains.
Cost	It is cheap.	It is costly.
Produce	They do not produce lather in hard water.	It cleans the clothes even in hard water.
Made of	Soaps are produced from natural products.	Detergents are synthetic or man-made.
Advantages/Benefits	The advantages of soap are: Soaps are antibacterial, they can help kill germs. Mild soaps can wash off the corrosive acids that drop on your skin and neutralize it. Soaps are used for bathing, cleaning, and washing. It helps keep skin clean. They also remove dirt, oil, makeup and other impurities on skin.	The advantages of detergent are: Laundry detergent – One of the major applications of laundry detergents is washing clothes. The formulation of these detergents is complex; it depends on the demands of application and competitive consumer market. Laundry detergents generally contains surfactants, softeners, bleach, enzymes, fragrances, wand many other agents. Fuel additives – To prevent fouling detergents are used in Otto engines components like the carburetors and the fuel injectors. Biological Reagents – In biological cells, for the isolation and purification of integral membrane proteins detergents in the grade of reagents is used.
Example in Sentence	Wash your hands with soap. I used a soap to remove dirt from my hands.	She washed the dishes with a detergent. My mother added a laundry detergent to the washing machine.