Every child has the right

We love dirt and for a laundry brand, like Surf, that may seem a little odd. However, we understand that if people are going to live full active lives then, on occasions, they're going to get a little grubby.

More than just words

The idea that dirt is good isn't just a catchphrase. It's more a belief in a way of life. And we make sure we have the technology to back it up. How? Well, for a start, we get out there ourselves and get our hands dirty, continually working to understand all the different kinds of stains kids (and big kids) might come home with. All around the world, we've been doing some exploring of our own, to get scientific about stains: where they come from, what they're made of, and why they can be so stubborn.

Hassle-free cleaning action

Then we work on the technology to make sure our detergents can go to work for you. Our new No Need To Pretreat formula for Skip in Europe and Persil in the UK is specially designed to remove stains with less hassle.

The first step was to optimise the formula for each product with a new mix of polymers and surfactants that ensures we can remove hundreds of every-day stains without pretreatment. The new cleaning system is designed to dissolve particularly rapidly and fully, so it can get to work on wetting the fabric surface and loosening and lifting the dirt without delay. The particles of dirt are then kept in suspension in the wash water, so that they can be easily removed during rinsing, without leaving any residues. The new technology has been deployed in the various product formats that are being sold under the UK Persil and European Skip brand: powders, liquids, tablets and capsules.

Getting deep into pockets

Secondly, we incorporated our technology to deliver an effervescent action in our products that clean gently deep inside pockets, where kids often store their little discoveries.

In France, our new Skip Actigel tablets have even gone a step further, offering a unique patented technology: a combination of a gel with stain removers and the effervescent action of the tablet. These Actigel tablets dissolve well even at low temperatures, so you can get great cleaning action even at 30°C.

So people can get on with life

Thirdly, we've also worked hard to carefully select the best enzymes for the job. Enzymes are nature's stain removal agents, and we're partnering with Novozymes, a world-leading expert in enzymes, to research and identify which enzymes are particularly good at removing the stains kids might bring home.

Dirt is good, dirt is Experience

It is only when you are free to get dirty that you truly experience life and grow. Not only parents but teachers also think that the word dirt is bad and attach the concept of child's learning with only academics, although at a sub conscious level they do understand the importance of experiencing to a certain degree. Hence the children are discouraged from playing because of dirt. As a result, children are bereft of a key means to learning: experience.

Along with dirt being an obstacle towards play = experience = learning, what are the other reasons for kids not playing enough in today’s world?

Today, childhood is spent mostly indoors, watching television, playing video games and working the Internet. When children do go outside, it tends to be for scheduled events - soccer camp or a fishing derby - held under the watch of adults. In a typical week, 27% of kids ages 9 to 13 play organized baseball, but only 6% play on their own, a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

Why is play important for a child's development?

Play enhances every aspect of children's development and learning. It is children's window to the world. Play is so important that its significance in children’s lives is recognized by the United Nations as a specific right in addition to, and distinct from, a child's right to recreation and leisure. However, children's opportunities for play and their access to play environments is changing. (Canadian Council on Learning).

What is 'Every child has the right'?

Children get dirty by trying things for themselves and inevitably get dirty whilst doing so. Our natural instinct as parents is to protect our children, or to maybe even over protect them. There are many good reasons for this instinct such as fear, cultural norms, social pressures etc.

One good reason, though maybe at a different level of practicality, are our worries about our child getting dirty. In 2005 & 2006 Surf launched Paint and Games Masti where children were invited to participate in various activities designed to communicate that Dirt is Good.

This year however, Surf has taken the concept of Dirt Is good because Dirt = Play & Play Is Good to a deeper level and addresses the issues surrounding children's play: the idea of learning through play, the obstacles towards play, the impact of not enough play for our children.

Remember when you were a child? How you were free to explore, returning home covered in dirt and other stains?