When soap is dissolved in hard water, its cleaning ability comes down. This is due to the formation of:
When soap is dissolved in hard water, its cleaning ability comes down. This is due to the formation of:
Solution
Soap is less effective in hard water because it reacts to form the calcium or magnesium salt of the organic acid of the soap. These salts are insoluble and form greyish soap scum, but no cleansing lather. Detergents, on the other hand, forms lather in both hard and soft water.