Soap has a different chemical setup than detergent, but is still in the detergent family because it is a substance that cleanses soiled materials. Household detergents are laundry and dishwashing. They come in three different forms, powder, flakes, and liquid. Surfactants Detergents contain a basic cleaning agent called a surfactant. It is also called a surface-active agent.
Surfactants are molecules that implant themselves in the dirt and pry it away from the material.
They then surround the material and water then rinses them away. Surfactants lower water s surface tension, which increases it s wetting ability. Surface tension is the force that keeps water molecules together. They can also help detergent make lather and suds. Contrary to popular belief, the cleaning ability of detergents has very little to do with lather and suds.