How does your detergent work

Whenever you use your dishwasher, you might wonder how that dishwasher detergent actually works. What all goes in the process of making the dishes clean and shiny? Well, it is not that simple process. A lot of chemical reactions are involved in the process. These chemical reactions help in getting rid of the food stains, leftovers and grease from the dishes. Also, some dishwasher detergents are used to treat the hard water for better results. So we have compiled the process in simple steps so that you can understand it easily.

The composition

First of all, you need to understand what kind of chemicals these dishwasher detergents have that help in the process. The type and exact percentage of the chemicals are different in every brand but there are some components which are present in the majority of the dishwasher detergents.

Phosphates:

These chemicals are banned in some countries including US but still used in many nations across the world. Phosphates help in breaking down the food stuck on the dishes and also helps in removing calcium deposits. Phosphates also react with hard water and make it easier to clean the dishes.

Bleaches:

Small amount of chlorine based bleach is present in many detergents. It helps in breaking down the food deposits and removing stains.

Enzymes:

Many modern dishwasher detergents use similar enzymes that our gut uses to dissolve the food. These biological catalysts help in dissolving the food at the cellular level and speeds up the cleaning process.

Surfactants:

It is available in many dishwasher detergents in very small amount. It helps in keeping the water spots away and provide cleaner and shinier look to the dishes.

So how detergents actually work?

When you add detergent to your dishwasher, it reaches to the dirty dishes with the water. The enzymes like amylase and protease speed up the process of breaking down the food particles and grease at the cellular level. It is to be noted that the enzymes do not stick to one portion of the dishes. Once they are done with breaking down the food at one place, they will simply slip on the other section. That means the companies need to add very small amounts of enzymes in the detergents to make them work.

The other chemicals like phosphates and chlorine work on cleaning the dishes and breaking down the food leftovers. The remaining chemicals in the cycle, however, leave the dishwasher as it is and enter the ecosystem. On the other hand, the enzymes are immediately consumed by the bacteria that are also added to the detergents to get rid of any leftover enzymes.

The chemicals and enzymes break down the food particles to a level where they can easily get mixed with the water and get washed away. In the end, you are left with clean and shiny dishes. You will need to clean the dishwasher on regular basis to make sure it works properly.

The process which is involved in the cleaning of the dishes in a dishwasher is very complicated as it involved a lot of mechanical work as well as chemical reactions. Though the above explanation will give you an idea of how it all works.