Cleaning agents and medicines

Soaps or shampoos are used to clean skin and hair, soaps or detergents to wash clothes, and various cleaning agents to clean floors and walls. Cleaning agents are important for washing jobs that water alone cannot do well.

The basic raw materials of soap are plant oils or animal fats and a strong base such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide; coconut oil and other plant oils are commonly used. Soap forms very little lather in hard water, so synthetic detergents are used as a solution. These are made from mixtures of artificially synthesised chemicals, and this whole group harms aquatic life when it reaches water. They have also helped destroy coral reefs in coastal areas near hotels and reduce biodiversity in freshwater bodies.

Medicines, antiseptics and disinfectants

In the past people had a good understanding of many home remedies and used natural medicines. Today there are medicines used at home without medical advice to ease minor illnesses: painkillers for fever, creams for pain and itching, antacids for stomach acidity, and antiseptics such as surgical spirit for cuts and scratches. Antiseptics are chemicals applied to living tissue that kill micro-organisms or stop their growth. Keeping to the stated dose and time is very important; long-term use of medicine without medical direction is very dangerous.

In the past turmeric, lime water and salt water were used as germicides; today synthetic germicides called disinfectants are used to clean floors, kitchens, toilets and bathrooms. They kill micro-organisms but are not safe to put on living tissue, and frequent use causes side effects. Overusing germicide in a toilet also kills the micro-organisms that break down the waste.