From its invention by Otto Rohm in 1914 through the increasingly powerful and green cleaners of today, laundry detergent has changed how people clean all over the world.

What was the first laundry detergent ever made?

Procter and Gamble introduced its first laundry detergent, Dreft (now reformulated as a gentle detergent for baby clothes), in 1933. Dreft worked well for handwashing clothes but just didn't do a great job of removing heavy soil from clothes.

Why was laundry detergent invented?

German chemical companies developed an alkyl sulfate surfactant in 1917, in response to shortages of soap ingredients during the Allied Blockade of Germany during World War I.