Sentence:  The washing process whereby soils are removed consists basically of applying mechanical action to loosen the dirt particles and dried matter in the presence of <WSD>water</WSD> which helps to float off the debris and acts , to some extent , as a dissolving and solvating agent . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent