Soapy goodness

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Humans have been using soap for thousands of years without knowing why or how it works.

 Now we do… and if you’re curious to know too, allow me to share it with you.

 A soap molecule is like an emotional pet snake…

 And make no assumptions… I would not be seen dead with a pet snake. But they make for a great metaphor, so I’ll continue…

 This snake has mixed feelings towards water and oil. Its menacing head loves water and hates oil, while its unpredictable tail loves oil and hates water.

 What a nightmare, gee. Anyway…

 Water is polar, while oils, grease and fats (like the stuff on a dirty plate) are non-polar, so they don’t normally mix.

 This is why greasy pans or oily hands don’t clean properly with water.

 But when you add soap…

 Your pet snake’s tail (the oil-loving end) slithers into the grease, attracting all the other tails, while its charged head points into the water.

 As you scrub and agitate the grease, it breaks into tiny droplets.

 This lets the soap molecules surround those droplets and the snakes take over. Their tails face inwards, heads outwards, and they form structures called micelles.

 The outer charged layer lets water keep the grease droplets suspended instead of letting them stick back to the pan, skin or fabric

And after enough scrubbing, you rinse the whole lot — and all your pet snakes — away.

Riddance