Muggles wrote in newslvhi0$iam$1
@wxy247t1uve70-5cv.eternal-september.org:

I know there's some sort of process going on when soap foams and bubbles
up whether or not it's bath soap or dish soap, and I always thought the
foam in the soap is what broke down the dirt and oils.

Nope. It's the soap in the water that breaks down oils and helps dissolve or suspend dirt.

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/detergents.html

Foam forms when soapy water is agitated because the surface tension of soapy water is
much lower than that of pure water, that's all.

If it were the foam doing the cleaning, how would a clothes washer ever get your clothing
clean? The foam is all on top of the water, and the clothing is under the water.

Detergents like
Dawn seem to be able to still foam up even when oils are present,
though. Maybe, it's more than just soap like what bath soaps are that
don't foam up if oil is in the water?

I wonder how they can make bath soap products foam up when they say they
contain oils to moisturize the skin? I've noticed after using bath oil
on my skin that subsequent baths that I take the foaming bath soap still
doesn't want to lather up because of the oil/moisturizer that is still
in my skin.

Anyway, I'm more curious about the chemical process going on, and if
there were a way to keep the foaming bath soap foaming even if bath oil
were present.