Fat lice

Lime soaps of individual fatty acids, e.g. B. calcium salts

Calcium oleate, the calcium salt of oleic acid .

Calcium palmitate, the calcium salt of palmitic acid .

Calcium stearate , the calcium salt of stearic acid .

Fatty lice (also soap lice ) are often found dirt residues when washing textiles in a machine. They arise primarily from skin fat, which could not be completely dissolved by the washing process and is also not removed with the washing liquor , and probably consist at least partly of lime soap (calcium and partly also magnesium salts of fatty acids ). A gray, greasy coating forms, which breaks down into small particles, the so-called fatty lice . In addition to skin fat, creams or ointments that are applied to the skin can also be causative agents.

The dirty grease not only settles on the laundry, but can also form a deposit inside the washing machine .

As a countermeasure, we recommend gradually increasing the washing temperature and detergent dosage .

Detergents already contain water softeners in an amount that is sufficient for average hard water. In the case of particularly hard water, it is ecologically and economically more sensible to add special, commercially available softening agents to the laundry, since a relatively small amount of detergent can be saved.

Special detergents against coarse dirt and stains can also be added to the washing process.

See also

• Water softening
• Descaler

literature

• Jens Gebhard et al .: How to wash properly . Information about washing, rinsing and cleaning . Düsseldorf 2008, p. 16 ff . ( texhages.at [PDF]).
• Eberhard Wadischat: Expert Praxislexikon Textilkunde . 1111 helpful terms - textile descriptions with stain dictionary for household, trade and industry . 3rd, verb. Edition. expert, Renningen 2008, ISBN 978-3-8169-2748-8 , p. 46 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• Washing auxiliaries and aftertreatment agents. Laundry damage. Soap lice . In: SIH publication . No. 1.4 . Baden 1990, p. 11 ff .

Individual evidence

1. ^ W. Pönitz, industrial engineer; M. Weishaupt, graduate druggist; O. Temme, Dr. rer. nat., Dipl. Chem .; A. van het Reve, chemist: A guide for environmentally friendly salespeople in drugstores and health food stores , Kinessa GmbH and Swiss Effax GmbH; accessed in January 2017.