General Question

intrepidium's avatar

How does stain fighting & color boosting bleach work?

Asked by intrepidium (1235points) July 25th, 2011

How does it tell between a color stain (e.g. wine or chocolate) to be removed versus the garment’s color to be ‘boosted’ or brightened? I checked out the FAQ on Clorox’s website but it doesn’t really tell me anything…

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

3 Answers

ANef_is_Enuf's avatar

These detergents use what are called “optical enhancers” or optical brighteners.

intrepidium's avatar

But how do the “enhancers” know between a color to be enhanced versus a stain to be zapped out?

ANef_is_Enuf's avatar

The enhancers don’t necessarily remove the stain. The detergent does that. Detergent doesn’t typically remove color from clothing (although, this can happen with newer clothes made with certain dyes, of course.) The detergent works to break down and remove the soil from the fabric, while the optical enhancers create a chemical reaction on the fabric that makes the color appear more vibrant to the human eye by altering the way that light is absorbed and released. There are two separate things at work.

Answer this question

Login

or

Join

to answer.

This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.

Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
or
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther