Persil the ""work of the washboard""—saving consumers time and rendering the historic method of "sun-bleaching" (by laying clothes out in the sun) unnecessary. Persil was the first commercially available self-activated laundry detergent (combining bleach with the detergent). The invention of Persil was a significant breakthrough. The name, "Persil", is derived from two of the original ingredients, sodium perborate and silicate. The original name was deemed unsuitable as an international brand because it is hard to pronounce in some languages. Coincidentally, "persil" is the French word for the herb, parsley. Persil is sold in powder, liquid detergent, liquid capsule, liqui-gel, and tablet
Phosphates in detergent the European Union and the United States. Independent product testing noted that manufacturers reformulated their products after bans. Those reports indicated that the new products without phosphates were satisfactory. States including Maine, Florida, and Indiana in the United States began restricting or banning the use of phosphates in laundry detergent in the early 1970s, culminating in a nationwide voluntary ban in 1994. In July of 2010, 17 states followed up with bans on its use in automatic dishwasher detergent. In 2004, the European Union introduced regulations to require biodegradability in all detergents. In 2011 the European Commission announced that the