U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for October 10: Cleaning Power

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

CLEANING POWER

Profile America — Saturday, October 10th. Something that we all take for granted made its appearance on this date in 1933, when the first household detergent — named Dreft, and still in production — went on sale. The chemistry of making soap had changed little over hundreds of years, until shortages of fats for making soap during World War I sparked research. Detergents really took off following World War II, and by 1953, their sales had passed those of traditional soaps. Now, detergents have all but replaced soap-based products for laundry, dishwashing, and household cleaning, and most soaps for personal hygiene also contain some detergents. Some 637 U.S. manufacturers produce $23 billion worth of detergents and soaps each year. You can find current data on the country's economy by downloading the 'America's Economy' mobile application at www.census.gov/mobile.

Sources:Kane's Famous First Facts, 4279Dreft story: http://www.vintageallies.com/Housewares/dreft-syntehtic-detergent.html Manufacturers/NAICS 325611:http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=BP_2013_00A1&prodType=table Value of soap and detergent/NAICS 325611: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ASM_2013_31VS101&prodType=table

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau